


A Flower for Yuna

by persephinae



Series: A Flower for Yuna [1]
Category: Ghost of Tsushima (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Ghost of Tsushima Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:47:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 50,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25722331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/persephinae/pseuds/persephinae
Summary: This takes place after the end of the game, with Jin and Yuna vowing to clean up the remaining Mongol army remnants
Relationships: Jin Sakai/Yuna, Yuna/Jin Sakai
Series: A Flower for Yuna [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1867003
Comments: 62
Kudos: 231





	1. Afternoon Refuge

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't see too many fics for this game yet so decided to be the change I wanted to see lol
> 
> This is an ongoing fic, so I should have the 2nd chapter up soon. Thank you for reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> edit: updated to add my newest art of Yuna that I drew, might delete it later though :P  
> https://www.instagram.com/persephinae (if anyone wants to follow for art, I post infrequently though)

Yuna gazed across the the old abandoned temple grounds, taking in the beauty of the decaying landscape, but her mind was too busy going over her checklist for the night - checking wounds, finding dry shelter, and if they would be able to have a fire for cooking and warmth this night. She decided to do a perimeter check while Jin took care of his horse, Kaze. She heard Jin gently praising the horse as he led him towards a sheltered post in the back of the clearing. It pleased her in ways she didn't want to examine too closely when she witnessed moments like this, small moments when she was startled into a small smile at Jin's continued kindnesses. With all the misery of the war, sometimes it could be days between she saw Jin's own small smiles.  
It was late in the afternoon, by the time they had reached the river fork between the Kushi grasslands, the Old Clan's Hill, and the woods by the old Okada Farmstead. She had met up with Jin after he had taken out the small Mongol camp at Hissing Creek Crossing by himself. Stubborn fool. He had been limping a bit, favoring his right leg and holding his left arm, but then he had seen Yuna striding at a fast pace down the road towards him and he foolishly straightened his posture, pretending to be every inch a samurai warrior. Stubborn as a goat. Which is why they were now across the river at the abandoned temple to tend to his wounds. If he let her. He might not, sometimes he was too proud for minor wounds, and then he'd wait until it either healed or got worse. He's learned to gauge his wounds better at least. Before, he would wait until infection had set in and he was in unbearable pain before slinking to Yuna to see if she could help. Now he would either fix it himself if minor, or politely ask Yuna for help if it was bad.  
With a grunt of irritation at herself for daydreaming, Yuna forced herself to her task and reviewed the fence sheltering them from the view across the river, checked the cliff ridges behind the building and in the front. It looked like there were only two direct pathways to the old temple grounds, one from the crumbling front gate, and one that meandered down a break in the ridge behind the building. Mongols or bandits could possibly come up the cliff face in the front, however, as there were many handholds and climbable boulders.   
She glanced back at Jin to gauge how much time she had. She saw that Jin was unsaddling the horse and beginning the process of brushing him down for the night. It should be enough time.   
Yuna began dragging the remains of a destroyed shed across the field towards the open space between the intact fence and the boulders by the gate. She would feel safer with some kind of barrier there. She tried to be as quiet as she could but it was heavy, and a few grunts of extreme effort escaped as she pushed and dragged the wreckage to where she wanted it. She would do this! No piece of crusty ancient wood would defeat her! She grit her teeth hard and heaved it through the soft grass, when suddenly she felt someone come up behind her and gently place his calloused hands on top of hers. She stilled beneath those hands.  
"Yuna."  
Yuna quickly turned to face him, and Jin removed his hand. It was only for a fraction of a moment, but she still felt the warmth of his skin on her hand. She squashed the girlish need she felt to hold her hand to her chest, in an attempt to savor the touch. She swallowed and stuck out her chin, subtly clenching her hand into a fist against her flights of fantasy. It was just Jin and there were Mongols roaming the countryside! There's no time for this foolishness. As if he would ever look at her in a thousand years!  
"Jin! I thought you were taking care of Kaze?"  
Jin had taken off most of his outer armor and shoulder guards, and stood in just his undershirt and pants, still trying to stand tall before her. His gaze was gentle as he asked, "Were you trying to move this on your own, Yuna?"  
Yuna's brows furrowed and she pursed her lips in irritation. She briefly thought about lying, but quickly discarded that thought. She didn't like lying to Jin, and it was a stupid thing to lie over.  
"Yes! It's nothing I can't handle. Please, finish taking care of Kaze. I don't want you hurting yourself further."  
Yuna forced herself to shrug off his concern and turn back to the wreckage. She grabbed the wooden beam of the wreckage and began dragging it across the the clearing again.  
She got it a few feet further before Jin quietly began helping her drag it. Irritated at the thought of him hurting himself, she thumped the wood and turned to Jin.  
"Jin! I don't want you hurting yourself! Let me finish this! Go take care of Kaze! It's ok!"   
Jin slowly turned to her and cocked his head at her outburst.   
"Kaze is taken care of, and my wounds aren't that bad. Let me help and we can get this done twice as fast."  
Yuna rolled her eyes at his stubbornness and crossed her arms in quiet defiance.   
"Jin, you were limping and clutching your arm when you left that Mongol camp. You don't have to help me."   
_You don't have to help everyone!_ , she wanted to say, but she swallowed the words.   
Jin took a step closer to her (much too close), and began peeling off his undershirt and left it hanging at his waist. Her heart began to frantically beat at his naked chest (which she's seen! she's seen this before! why was she flustered?!!).  
"See, Yuna? It's just a small scratch on my arm and some bruising."  
He pointed to a cut on his arm that she'd have to look at. He might think it's minor but it may need to be sewn. His chest however was a colorful firework of bruises ranging from light green to light purple. At least they weren't dark purple.  
Yuna sighed in frustration and gave up.   
"Oh for the love of... FINE! Help me move this over to that spot over there. I don't want bandits or Mongols to surprise us in the middle of the night."  
"As you wish."  
Jin strode forward again and easily hefted the beam to drag across the grass, his muscles moving beneath his skin.  
Yuna sighed and took the other side of the wreckage to help him move it, of which it truly seemed like Jin was doing the heavy lifting. She growled under her breath and muttered, " _aarghh, you're so stubborn!_ "  
Jin must have heard her because he abruptly laughed. It made her feel giddy to know that she made him laugh. _**Arrghhhhhh!!!**_  
" _I am so stubborn?_ YOU were the one who decided to drag half the shed across the clearing by yourself!"  
Yuna whipped around to face him.  
"I didn't want you to hurt yourself anymore! You don't have to take on everything!"  
Jin quietly smiled and continued pulling on the wreckage, finally heaving it into the spot she had indicated. He dusted off his hands ( _unnecessarily_ she thought!!) and walked back towards her.  
He stood before her with a small smile still, and replied, "There are many tasks I would take on for Tsushima, many battles I would fight to help our people. And perhaps I am too stubborn, which can be both good and bad."  
He paused for a moment, and then added, "But I will always help you, Yuna. It is never a burden."  
He looked like he wanted to say more, but instead turned towards the other wreckage and began moving that as well.  
Yuna was flummoxed for a moment as she pondered his words. She then mentally shook herself and strode forward to help him. She was probably over thinking things again, as usual. They've been through so much together, lesser people might have broke, but together they pulled each other along and through the misery. Yuna would never be someone he would consider as something like that. She would not even deign to give those thoughts form. He may be on the run from the shogunate, but was an ex-samurai and a noble, son of a samurai lord and nephew to the Jito of Tsushima. She was a peasant who ran away from an abusive mother and couldn't protect her brother. Life never went the way she wanted or predicted. This was an old pain.  
"Here, let me help you."  
Jin raised an eyebrow and replied, "I would welcome the help," then added with a small mischievous smile, "but don't hurt yourself."  
Yuna would not dignify that with a reply and merely helped drag the other part of the wreckage to the cliff. Jin gave a small chuckle at her silence, knowing what she probably really wanted to say. Arrogant man!  
They both finished placing it in the last opening and surveyed their work.   
"Thank you, Jin. What about the two entrances? I was thinking of at least moving that abandoned cart in front of the gate over there?"  
Jin nodded and replied, "Yes. Why don't you go start a fire and I'll move it. I think we can chance a small fire from here, and the Mongols won't know about the camp for days yet."  
Yuna put her hand on her hip and cocked her head.  
"I could just as easily move the cart too, you know. You could take it easy and start the fire."  
Jin folded his arms, was quiet for a moment, and stoically replied, "Your fires are better than mine."  
Yuna half threw her hands up in exasperation, and exclaimed, "Oh for the love of.. fine! You win, Jin!"  
She half turned to walk back to their camp, but he gently put his hand on her arm. She turned back to look and ask what it was, but the words died on her lips.  
Jin was looking at her intently, but with gentleness, as if he saw parts of herself she didn't want him to even notice.  
"I know you have been traveling from Akashima and were to meet me at Kushi Temple. I know that you decided to find me on the road, rather than wait for me. I may have battled Mongols, but I was well rested beforehand. You, on the other hand, must be very weary. Let me do this small kindness for you, Yuna. Please rest for a moment."  
Yuna was surprised at his thoughtfulness, although at this point she shouldn't be.  
Jin gently jerked his head back to camp to reemphasize his request and added, "There's some extra water if you'd like some refreshment, or there's tea from Akashima in my bags, if you prefer. I have to get some more water from the river tonight and boil it."  
All the fight seemed to leave Yuna in a rush as she realized she was exhausted. She had been riding straight through from Akashima, then had left her horse at Kushi to rest. She had run the rest of the way to Hissing Creek Crossing, which was just as well as she had to avoid patrols while she searched for Jin. She realized she probably desperately needed a bath at this point as well.  
Yuna closed her eyes and nodded, giving in to his request. She inclined her head in acknowledgement and quietly replied, "Thank you, Jin."  
She turned away and began walking back towards camp.   
She walked but a few feet, when she heard his own quiet reply, "You're welcome, Yuna."   
Yuna kept walking and began to gather materials to set up a fire in the lea of the giant maple tree within the courtyard. She cleared the scarlet maple leaves from her intended spot, gathered and laid down stones to contain the fire, then gathered and placed wood from the tree. She walked over to Jin's saddlebags to root around for tinder, which she found, but she also found a brilliant violet flower gently tucked away as well. It was beautiful, and she admired it for a moment, before gently putting it back.


	2. Now the Night Has Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry, i just really like bickering Yuna x Jin, it's too cute  
> (loud stage whisper) he does it on purpose

Yuna quickly got the fire started and began heating water for tea and dinner. While the water boiled, she went back to their supplies and began to plan what they would eat. Rice and whatever they could scavenge from the Mongol camp. _Ughhh_ , she sensed an argument with Jin over who would head over to the camp. She was tired, but not so tired that she wanted Jin to go back to the place where he was wounded. She pursed her lips in annoyance and thought about how she would guide the conversation to getting her way.  
"I'm beginning to know that look, Yuna."  
She sighed in resignation and brought the rice back to the fire. The outlook did not look good on this argument, but maybe there was a third option.  
"I was just thinking of what we could have with the rice.", she answered in a nonconfrontational, and most importantly, calm voice.  
Jin sat down near the fire for a moment to catch his breath and rest from the day. Even as a disheveled fugitive fighting a war on two fronts, he was every inch a regal lord in repose. Or perhaps it was just in her imagination, a memory that she kept between them.   
Yuna sat down as well. She sighed again and looked up at the overgrown maple tree that towered above them, watching the afternoon turn golden as the tree continued to rain down perfect scarlet leaves. She sometimes wished she was a painter, so that she could capture these perfect moments and gaze at them later when she needed them most.  
"And what thoughts have you gathered about the rice?"  
She tilted her head back down to look across at Jin, who waited serenely on her answer. _It must be nice_ , she thought, _to never have your own mind conjure worries against you_. When she was a little girl, she would wistfully wonder what it would be like to never worry about if she would be able to eat that day, or whether she and her brother would be safe. If Jin had been anyone else, she felt that her resentment would probably well up to choke her daily, biting back words and feelings that would either get herself killed or backhanded by her betters. If Jin had been anyone else, she wouldn't be having these thoughts. She would have done anything to rescue Taka, then both her and her brother would be gone like the morning mist the next day.   
But here she was. With Jin, who would crawl over sharp rocks to save their people, who would bend over backwards to help others. So much so that people whispered his name in reverence for his kind deeds, and lied to the Shogun's men about his whereabouts.   
Yuna blinked back against her thoughts and answered, "I was thinking we could try our luck and catch some fish in the river below."  
She gazed at him unblinking, blanking her mind of all thoughts about the Mongol camp, and bent her will to him agreeing with her. It was a game she played with herself in the many times she found herself wishing people to agree with her. Sometimes it worked.  
Today it did not.

"Fish would be good, but why spend hours hoping for a bite, when there's food for the taking right across the river?"  
_Ughhhhh.._  
She tried again. This time with a smile.  
"Wouldn't you like a fresh fish though? Who knows how long those fish have been sitting there out in the hot sun?"  
She could be reasonable. And smile. Smiling helped. Especially when she couldn't cuss him out and call him three kinds of a stubborn pig while slicing his belly with her knife. Those days were behind her. She was reasonable now. And this was Jin. She was calm.  
"I had been watching the camp before I attacked it, those were fresh caught this morning, so they're still good. Also there were some supplies I missed. We could use them. And give the remaining supplies to Kushi Temple when we go back. They can either use it themselves or redistribute them."  
Jin placed his arms over his arched knees, letting his hands hang lose near the fire. He smiled again as she fought not to purse her lips in agitation, for he was getting to know her mind, and she suspected he foresaw the coming storm. She wouldn't be surprised if it was done on purpose. That son of a misbegotten goat. She clenched her hands over her folded knees and adjusted her plan.  
"Well, if you're sure that the fish are fresh and not _poisoned_ , I could sneak over and take some while you prepare the rice."  
"I'm reasonably sure. I did watch them catch the fish for their dinner, and was very careful not to stab them near their baskets, lest i get blood and gore over their catch. I do try to be conscientious when killing people."   
He said that with such sincerity that Yuna tried not to laugh. He didn't deserve a laugh for outmaneuvering her. She also tried not to scowl because that would mean conceding victory.

In an equally sincere voice she replied, "How thoughtful, my lord, for considering others while doing your unsavory work for Tsushima. Our people are most grateful, in all ways. If you are _sure_ the Mongol dogs have not poisoned the fish, I would be happy to go fetch the food and supplies."  
Jin flashed a rare grin at her words. She was not afraid that he took offense at her words. They both knew that she viewed him only as Jin, the man who she rescued and worked tirelessly to save their island. He was never a demon to her, only Jin.   
Also she was just too tired to be bothered with cooking the rice. Some days you would just rather steal than cook for yourself. _She was tired_. She figured she would just grab what she could carry and be done with it. Win win.  
Jin considered her offer, gazing so hard at her she could see the water wheels turning in his head. She fought against fidgeting and reminded herself she was a woman grown, who survived bandits and worse, and if Jin disagreed she could just get up and do whatever she wanted anyway. Why was she so concerned for his approval???? She could do what she want, go where she want. Then she remembered this was for Jin's sake anyway, and gave in to a slight scowl, her brows slightly beginning to furrow.

Jin looked away from her to contemplate the tree branches above them. She went full scowl at his odd behavior.  
"I thank you for your kind offer, Yuna. I will wait here and cook rice, while you procure the fish and supplies from across the river."  
He turned away for a moment to rummage through their belongings, his shoulders mysteriously shaking for a moment. She scowled harder, but immediately cleared her face to serene friendship when he turned back with a sack in his hands. His face was also mysteriously serene. Her suspicions deepened.   
Her voice echoed her suspicion when she replied slowly, "Thank you, Jin. I'll grab what I can and be back shortly."  
She titled her head and tried to see what ulterior motives he might have, but she remembered this was Jin. His idea of ulterior motives was to turn the situation around to a kindness. The tension left her shoulders and as she stood up, she reached for the sack from his outstretched hand.  
"Please clean your wounds while I'm gone. And please let me know if that nasty cut needs sewn. I don't want to see it infected."  
Jin's voice was pleased, but low as he answered, "As you wish, Yuna."

Yuna did not yank the sack from his hand. She did not twirl dramatically like some 15 year old in a huff. She calmly inclined her head and gently took the sack, then calmly walked toward the front gate and inched around the abandoned cart to pass by. She felt suspicious, but happy, over their non-argument.  
She quickly tread down the path and walked down the river towards the point closest to the other side. She glanced around, noting the landscape, checking for any patrols or anything out of the ordinary before she crossed. However, she did spare one last glance over her shoulder at the hill with the crumbling stone wall fence hiding their camp from view. And she spared a thought for how easy it felt to be herself with Jin, how fun their banter could be sometimes. She had forgotten it could be like that. She closed her eyes and quickly blanked out her other memories of other men, and what she endured, then sighed and opened her eyes again as she began to cross.  
She was careful as she hopped from stone to stone, and tried to be as quiet as possible in case of stragglers or wandering bandits. She jumped from the last stone to the pebbled shore and quickly crouched behind some tall reeds as she listened, feeling for her dagger just in case. When she didn't hear anything, she crept forward behind the furthest tent. She spared a glance for the strange sigils and designs on the tent, then peeked through the flap as a precaution. Spying the coast was clear, she quietly walked in and glanced around. Oil lamps on chests sat illuminating the interior, while slotted holes in the tent's ceiling allowed ventilation and more light if needed. She saw spare saddles, leatherworking supplies, and Mongol arrows, but she needed none of this, so she walked past it all towards the other flap.  
She peeked out again, saw it was safe, and walked towards the fire. She glanced around the camp, seeing it was truly empty. In the old days, maybe she would have checked every single tent to be extra sure, but she was so tired and hungry. The afternoon was waning and she ached to just rest. _Let it be someone else's problem for once._

She took the sack out from her belt and unsheathed her knife, then quickly began cutting meat from the boar left to roast over the dying embers of their fire. Once she got enough meat, she moved on towards the supply cart and grabbed a few rations from there before moving back towards the river. She found the basket of fish Jin had spoke of, and found the telltale splatter of blood a few feet away. She half smiled and thought, _he really was considerate._

She was about to bend down to collect her fish when she saw a man appear from one of the tents a few paces down the river. She cursed under her breath and reached for her knife again. He was in a stained rough spun peasant smock and wielded a filched Mongol spear. Bandit, but at least it wasn't a Mongol.  
In a leering voice (of course it was a leering voice, and of course this was her luck) "Wellll..... look what we have here. Aren't you pretty?"  
She merely crouched low, slowly dropped her sack, and readied herself for attack, whether by her blade or his spear. She watched his eyes for his first move. His voice was mere wind.  
"What nothing to say? It's probably for the best, I'm not interested in conversation anyway."  
She readied herself as he shuffled to the side, watching her for an opening.  
Then just as he was about to strike, an arrow came sailing through the sky and struck him in the neck. He dropped his spear and clawed at the arrow, making gurgling sounds as blood spurted from the wound.   
Not waiting for him to recover, Yuna sliced at his belly and kicked him backwards towards the tent (away from her fish, dammit!). Once she stepped back, another arrow sailed through the sky to strike his stomach as well. Then just as quick another came whistling to strike the body again, as if to be sure.   
Yuna rolled her eyes and wanted to shout back to Jin, "I GOT IT, HE'S ALREADY DEAD!" but she didn't want to alert every Mongol and bandit within the area. She would have to save her berating words for when she returned. The foolish overprotective idiot.  
She kicked the bandit again for good measure, then sighed and dragged his body into the tent anyway, just in case. She stepped on the bandit's hand in pique and cursed him for good measure, then stepped back outside to finish gathering her fish.   
Once she had everything, she crept back across the river and followed the trail back to the old temple, always on the alert and checking her surroundings. She let out a sigh once she inched past the cart blocking the gate, and the tension left her body in a rush. She was safe, and soon she'd have food.  
"Yuna!"  
Jin materialized by her side, his concerned gaze very obviously raking her for any injuries.   
"I'm fine, Jin! And thank you, but I had it under control!"   
She didn't mean to let her irritation show in her voice, but she was tired.  
Jin sighed in relief and took the heavy sack from her hands, but waited until she started walking back to the fire before following her.   
"I know, Yuna. You are the most capable person I know. But why wait for trouble, when I could help?"  
Jin hefted the sack of food up at eye level, his forearm muscles outlined briefly, and added, "And it means we get to eat that much sooner."  
Yuna sighed in defeat and walked the last few steps to the fire. She just wanted to eat and sleep, but she also had to take a bath afterwards, which she desperately needed. Her shoulders slumped at the thought. She sighed again and turned toward Jin.  
"Yes, yes, you're very helpful. Now let's clean the fish so we can cook and eat it."  
Jin merely lightly guided her back to a mat he had set near the camp fire, and motioned for her to sit.  
Struck mute in surprise at the gesture, she sat. He must have found it in the temple. Yuna opened her mouth to ask a question, but again was surprised into silence when he handed her a bowl of rice and chopsticks.   
He opened the sack of supplies and separated out the fish, the pork, and the rations, laying them out as if on a picnic. And before she could even ask about the fish, he had placed some of the Mongol's roast pork on her dish to eat with her rice.  
"Eat, Yuna."  
Too tired and hungry to resist or voice a complaint, she ate. Her rice and filched pork was delicious. As was the tea Jin had finished preparing for the both of them.  
While she ate her meal, he had cleaned and grilled the fish. He had politely asked if she still wanted to taste the fish, but she was full so she politely thanked him and declined.  
They sat in silence for a bit, watching the fire glow and blaze as the night crept upon the sky, turning it from gold to purple to darkest blue.   
Yuna sighed and began gathering up the dishes. She might as well wash them after she bathed.   
Jin must have guessed her intention, because he stood to awkwardly help her load the dishes into the dirty sack.  
Yuna gave him a curious look, then grabbed her toiletries from her own stolen supplies.   
When she reached for the sack of dishes, Jin merely held it out of her reach and said, "I'll help carry it to the river. You just worry about your bath, and when you're done I'll do them after my bath."  
Yuna opened her mouth to argue, but sighed and changed her mind, "I don't mind, Jin. Are you sure?"  
Jin, hefted the sack to redistribute the weight, gazing at her for a moment (she probably looked all haggard and grimy, ughh), then looked away as he replied, "It's fine, Yuna. Don't worry so much."  
He turned back to her and cocked his head to the side a bit, adding, "You don't have to take care of everybody, Yuna. Let me help."  
Yuna, tired but sputtered out, "YOU?? I?? ** _I don't have to take care of everyone_**??"   
Of all the nerve! The man would not only try to help all of Tsushima Island, but would then swim the sea to the mainland to help all of Japan if he could!  
Jin laughed at her expression and disjointed disgruntlement, then quickly vaulted down the escarpment towards the river. He glided from hand hold to hand hold and jumped down to the river bank in mere moments. The showoff!   
Yuna clutched her toiletries to her chest and walked purposely down the path towards the river, her chin held high. But before she could so much as say a word, he was quickly gone again, back up the way he came. Leaving the dishes for himself to clean later.   
She should leave them to clean up! If he was that bound and determined to do so, then perhaps she would let him! Obstinate man!  
She scrubbed herself down, washed her hair, and rinsed off in the river, trying to be quick as possible. Not only because she was tired and she was sure Jin was tired and wanted a bath too, but she was still wary of attack.  
But in a moment of indulgence, she floated in the water and gazed up at the full moon in the sky, the stars twinkling above her. 


	3. A Murmured Voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the song briefly mentioned is from "Tsuki no Ie" from Outlaw Star  
> it's been on my mind lately and fit with the story

Yuna lay on her back in the water for a moment, taking in the clear night sky and again, wishing she could paint. The stars were like a river of twinkling lights across a dark blue expanse, and the moon was so full and bright that it illuminated the entire countryside. She felt very peaceful in that moment. And as she soaked in the night, a far off memory came bubbling up from her childhood. A song the village children used to sing, bittersweet and simple. As a little girl, she imagined herself as the maiden in the song, beautiful in the moonlit stars, singing of longing and wanting to protect her love.

_The sky, the blue sky..._  
_A murmuring voice..._  
_Your dreams are now_  
_turning the wheel of the stars_

_I am always nowhere_  
_That is how I felt..._  
_Until I sensed_  
_Your eyes upon me._

She wondered why she suddenly remembered the song? _It must be the moonlight stirring up her memories_ , she told herself, even as she ignored the wetness from her eyes. _I just got water on my face_ _is all._   
She sighed, dunked under the water once last time to wipe away any evidence of weakness, and began to swim back to shore, not looking forward to putting her dirty clothes on again. She would have to wash them very soon, she didn't know how Jin could stand to be around her, she probably stank. She laughed quietly under her breath at her ridiculous thoughts. She quickly toweled off, dressed back in her only clothes, and tried to dry her hair as best she could. She would have to sit by the fire for a bit to finish drying it. She didn't bother putting her outer shirt on though or her fur jacket. She'd be warm enough near the fire for now and she didn't wish to feel so confined. She made her way up the path, clutching her toiletries to her chest, and once again inched past the cart blocking the gate.  
"Jin! I'm done bathing. I left the water bucket by the river so you can use it as well."   
Yuna glanced around, not seeing him at first. "Jin?"  
Then suddenly he walked out of the old crumbling temple, unseeing and clearly lost in thought.   
She slowly walked towards him and called his name again.  
He almost walked into her before finally seeing her and exclaiming, "Yuna?!"  
"Jin? Is something the matter?"  
Jin blinked and came back from whatever was troubling him.  
"No, I'm fine, sorry. Just thinking ahead. Also thinking about where to sleep tonight."  
He finally focused on her and noticed her hair was wet and down, then noticed her clothes were loose as well.   
He awkwardly stumbled as he added, "I.. i wAs thinking. That you coudl sleep in the temple? I found a mattress that you could use. It would be softer than the ground."  
Jin was looking at her with an intense look again, but seemed to take hold of himself, blinked, and folded his arms so he wouldn't fidget. A proud samurai warrior surveying his troops.  
Yuna almost smiled. He was so silly and sweet. _Always. Always he was thinking of others._ Her heart turned over and she quickly tried swallowing the feeling back in her chest.  
Her voice was soft as she replied, "Thank you, Jin. I'll take a look at the mattress after I dry my hair."  
Jin cleared his throat and replied back, "Of course, Yuna. It was no trouble. No trouble at all."  
He seemed like he wanted to say something, but abruptly turned towards his things to grab his own toiletries.   
Idly, she wondered if he would shave. She hoped not, she really liked his scruff. She quickly squelched thoughts of running her hands over his scruff and other things she best not think about. Her mind began to wander over the past few weeks and things Jin had said to her. Things that she still held in her heart. She couldn't examine them all at once, because if she did it would break her own heart. But.. she could nibble at them.. piece by piece, examine them, then gently fold them back into her heart. She didn't dare believe. That would never be her story. She was no longer a maiden like her childhood stories. She had suffered too much and she was too old to be that maiden now. She felt her eyes sting and her lips tingle from all the emotions she kept swallowed. It felt like an ocean at this point. Taka, Jin, her life in general. Maybe she should take a "scouting trip" soon and find someplace where she could hole up and just cry. But then again, all the tears in the world would never bring back Taka, would never turn back time.  
"Yuna!"  
She blinked and turned to find Jin standing much too close and touching her shoulder.  
"Yes? I'm sorry, did you say something Jin? I must have been thinking too hard."  
Jin surprised her by gently wiping a wet strand of hair from her forehead.  
"You should dry your hair before you catch a fever, Yuna. Leave those sad thoughts behind you for the moment."  
Yuna gaped and moved her mouth like a koi fish.  
"H..hoW did.. you know?"  
Jin's hand spasmed as pulled his hand back, almost restraining himself, as if he was burned by her touch but didn't want to alarm anyone.  
He repeated his earlier words back to her again, "I'm beginning to know that look, Yuna."  
Her eyes went wide and all the air seemed to leave her lungs at his words. But before she could gather her thoughts back for a reply he had turned without a word towards the river and his bath.  
_He didn't mean anything by it. He didn't mean anything by it. He didn't mean anything by it._  
She would dry her hair and she would quit being foolish! She angrily wiped at her face and sat hard on the mat by the fire. She was no silly girl. Ughh she didn't know what was wrong with her. She separated the strands of her hair, trying to get the heat of the fire to dry her hair quicker. She thought she heard a loud heavy splash but that must have been Jin. Silly man had no business being so gentle with her. She could take his kindness, but it had been so long since someone other than her brother had been gentle to her, she feared she would do something stupid and cry.   
She took a deep breath and blocked out all the voices that clamored inside her memories, calling her stupid and worse. So much worse. She was relearning how to accept kindness again through Jin. She had been so busy trying to protect Taka... She pursed her lips and clamped down hard on her regrets. She had the rest of her life for regrets and she'd had enough for the night. A small thought bubbled up, _she didn't want Jin to worry. He had enough to worry about._  
She saw movement in the corner of her eye, and turned to face the front of the temple grounds. Jin was squeezing through past the cart, instead of climbing up the cliff face like a show off and leaping down from the barricade they set up.  
Wary, she stood up and called out in an uncertain voice, "Jin? Are you ok?"  
He was carrying his toiletries in his non-dominant hand and was shirtless. His hair was wet and down, and he was scowling in deep thought. He was also shirtless.  
"Jin?"  
He finally focused on her, turned to face her, and bowed. (bowed??)  
"I wish to apologize, Yuna, if my behavior made you uncomfortable. Know that I respect you always. I ask forgiveness if I caused any hurt towards you."  
Yuna clicked her tongue against her teeth at such foolishness and put her hand on her hip. The silly man. She strode forward to say something to that affect to his face when she noticed he was bleeding on his arm.  
"Aaaah! You opened your wound, Jin! What did I say? You probably opened it climbing that cliff!"   
She motioned him to come to her. "Here sit down by the fire and I'll get my medicine kit. We'll have to clean it and most likely sew it up."  
Jin blinked and looked down at his arm.  
"Ah. Actually this is a new cut. The one from earlier was on my other arm. See?"  
Jin pointed at his non-dominant arm to a puffy red cut that was already closing on its own.   
"I did tell you earlier, Yuna."  
Yuna made a small growl and impatiently (but gently) grabbed his hand and made him sit on the mat by the fire. She then put her hand on her hip and waved her other hand in the air at his foolishness.   
"Aaa? And HOW did you get cut THIS time, Jin? What happened?"  
Jin sighed and cocked his head a bit, "Ah. There was another bandit. By the river. I wasn't paying attention and he caught me by surprise."  
His eyes flicked to her almost boyishly and added, "I made sure to move his body over to the Mongol camp, next to the last one. I didn't want to disturb our part of the river."  
Yuna almost rolled her eyes. "Yes, thank you, Sakai Jin! Thank you for keeping our river pristine! Now sit still while I get my medicine kit and some clean bandages."  
She quickly walked over to the other side of the fire where she had temporarily stashed her things and rummaged around til she found what she was looking for. She then crouched down by him, took some clean boiled water and gently washed his wound to see how bad it was. She could feel Jin's gaze, but she ignored it.  
"Hmm... looks like it's deep right here. I think I might have to sew it shut, Jin."  
She risked a glance at Jin and saw his brows were furrowed, his mouth a tight line.  
"Jin?"  
"I meant what I said, Yuna."  
Yuna blinked.   
"What?"  
"I'm sorry if I offended you in any way, Yuna. I.. respect you immensely. I never want to cause you any discomfort."  
"I'm about to puncture and sew your skin, and this is what you're concerned with?"  
"Always. Yuna."  
She stared into his serious eyes, taking the opportunity to take in the shape of his brow, the line of his lips, the stubbley scruff (still!) on his jaw. Her hands clenched on her lap.   
She took the coward's way out and skirted around the issue.  
"Thank you, Jin. You.. did not offend me. At all. I always appreciate your concern and kind regard."  
She looked down at her medicine kit and began unpacking the items she'd need.  
"Will you let me sew this, so it won't get infected?"  
Jin regarded her for a moment more, as if trying to peer inside her head, then turned to look straight forward.  
"If it needs to be done. I appreciate your ministrations, Yuna. I always appreciate you."  
Yuna's hands stilled for a moment, then plucked what she needed from her kit.  
"You're too kind, Jin. ( _much too kind!_ ) Now hold still."  
Yuna positioned her hands where needed on his arm, and paused for a moment while she added, "I apologize if I hurt you, Jin."  
Jin inclined his head, whether taking her words at face value or seeing what she meant in her heart, she didn't know.   
Yuna inclined her head in return, then gave her focus to his wound, which just needed a few stitches.   
Jin bore the pain stoically like a warrior. She did not call him foolish within the confines of her mind, she was too busy trying to make her stitches as small and painless as possible. When she was done, she tied off the ends, wiped down the cut one last time, then lightly bandaged his upper arm.   
She quickly cleaned her needle and put the rest of her supplies away in her kit, which she put back in her pile on the other side of the fire.   
Yuna sighed and brushed her hair from her eyes, then absentmindedly rubbed her lower back. She had been so focused on helping Jin that she didn't realize she had been crouched down for so long.   
She turned to Jin, and asked, "Did you want me to take first watch? I don't like that there was a second bandit showing up like that."  
Jin was absently flexing his hand on the arm that had been hurt, testing his reflexes. He looked up at her question.  
"Ah? I'll take first watch, Yuna. I meant what I said earlier. I was well rested today and it has been a long day for you. Go ahead and rest and I will watch over you."  
He stared into the fire at that last part. Ah, what a stubborn man.  
Yuna cocked her head and debated with herself, then answered, "As you wish, Jin. I'll check out the bedding in the temple first, since you went to the trouble of finding it for me. I'll be right back."  
She inclined her head to Jin and strode off to the temple a short distance away. She was too far away to hear his murmured reply, which was carried off by the wind.  
As she approached and ascended the stairs that were falling apart, she finally got a good luck at the rest of the crumbling building. The paper on the shoji doors were either rotted or torn, but mysteriously there was one door that was still pristine, if faded and old. She saw plants and vines reclaiming the building as it would slowly over the many years be returned to the earth. She entered through the torn paper of the door and looked around inside. She saw the wooden floors rotted and wet by recent leaks and rain in the one corner, but was dry closer to the interior core and Buddha statues. Which was just as well, since she also spied lamps and incense burners placed before the Buddhas. She saw that Jin had placed the mat where it was driest. Maybe she could have a small fire in one of the large incense burners as she slept next to the altar. She looked around some more and found a supply of moth eaten blankets and mats in the corner. _So! Jin could sleep comfortably as well_ , she thought.   
She was just about to turn back to exit the temple when she saw something laying next to the mat by the altar.  
It was the flower Jin had saved in his satchel.   
A beautiful violet chrysanthemum. Too perfect to be real, yet there it was.


	4. In the Corner of My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin confesses to Yuna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a short chapter, but i hope you like it

Yuna crouched down to get a closer look at the flower. She wondered idly where on earth Jin had found such a beautiful flower. She felt awed and for a moment, unworthy to even touch it. It was the fullest bloom she had ever seen on a chrysanthemum, so many petals she couldn't begin to count them. She gently reached out to touch it at last, marveling at it. The petals of the flower began as the lightest purple on the outside, but the core of the flower was the darkest violet, with whispers and hints of magenta. The tips of her fingers gently touched the petals and felt their texture. Again, she wished she could paint this moment in her memory so she could pull it out when she needed to be reminded of beauty.  
She didn't know how long she crouched their in her quiet awe. She didn't even know why she was so incredibly moved. She also briefly wondered what to even do with the flower. How would she preserve it? Just wait for it to wither and die? Wear it in her hair?   
"Yuna?"  
She almost fell on her butt but caught herself at the last moment. Her fingers gracefully plucked up the flower and she cradled it in her hands before him.   
"You were in here a long time, Yuna. I was worried."   
Yuna, still cradling the flower, stepped closer to Jin. He had a funny look on his face and looked like he almost took a step back in surprise.   
She glanced down at the flower and back towards his eyes as she asked, "For me?"   
Her voice was low and had shades of awe, disbelief, and something else.  
Jin stepped even closer, restraining himself from reaching out, and answered in a low voice as well, "Yes."  
Yuna didn't tremble at his gentleness, she couldn't quite give into weakness, but she was lost. What was she supposed to do with his attentions? This wasn't just some man, this was Jin. They've been through so much, but he was still a noble. They had both come from opposite ends of society to meet in the middle, outside of the law and shogunate. She didn't want to make his life harder than what it was. She didn't want to mess this up. She didn't feel worthy of his attentions. She didn't know if he was trying to make her into something she was not. So many unknowns.  
She still cradled the flower between them.   
Jin finally reached to touch her face, only to wipe away the tears that trickled unheeded down her cheeks.  
"Please don't cry, Yuna. You break my heart when you cry. If my attentions are unwanted, please, just say so, and you will never be bothered by them again. We can pretend I was never so foolish."  
Yuna, still holding the flower, replied in a low whisper, "I don't know, Jin. I have never in my life been courted. I.. feel lost. You're from a world that I could only dream about in songs and stories. I have been taken, abused, and I have taken in return. This.. confuses me."  
She looked up at him, a well of emotions in her eyes, and added in a soft voice, "This is so beautiful, I'm not even sure what to do with it, Jin."  
Jin, gently wiped her tears again, then showed her by taking the flower from her hands, and placing it behind her ear.   
And as he slightly adjusted the strands of her hair, he answered her in a soft voice as well, "It's ok, Yuna. You will never have to be afraid with me. You don't have to hide your feelings or your fear from me. I will gladly take it all. As long as you never leave me. Stay by my side, always, Yuna."  
Jin let his hand rest in her hair for a moment, and she felt the heat of his hand against her head. She was beyond words for a moment and waited for him to finish his thought.  
He titled his head, and added, "As for the flower, it is as beautiful as you, Yuna. Wear it, keep it, do what you wish. I will bring you more, if you desire it. I would give you whatever I had and spoil you if I could."  
Yuna reached up with her hand and gently placed it over his forearm, a small part of her savoring being able to touch him and have him touch her in return, even as they were. But she had to get the words out, she worried he wasn't seeing who she truly was.  
"Jin.. I'm not some youthful, noble maiden. I'm not a samurai's lord's daughter. I don't think I can be what you want."  
She was starting to cry harder, so she looked away from him, sniffling against her tears. Her childhood self would be howling at her, calling her seven times a fool for fighting against this fairy tale that Jin was trying to weave between them. But she was a realist, the world had been cruel to her and stolen all her dreams.  
Jin moved his arm and clasped her hands between his own, gently rubbing his thumbs over her skin. Then, he ever so slowly pulled her in for an embrace. Just holding her as if he would never let her go.   
_He mustn't_ , she thought, _I can't.. it's too much!_  
She so desperately wanted to revel and melt in his embrace, but his kindness and warmth was too much for her and she was on the verge of ugly sobbing all over his chest and ruining everything. _It was too much! She was too vulnerable!_  
She didn't realize that she was already crying on him, but still she struggled a little.  
Softly, almost brokenly, she informed him in an anguished voice, "Jin, I can't. I can't be what you want."  
Jin merely held her, and calmly asked, "Is your heart given to another?"  
Yuna whipped her head up to look at him, "No! Never!"  
Jin let a small smile of satisfaction loose and replied, "Then there is no problem."  
Desperately trying to get him to understand, she cried, "Jin! You're not listening to what I'm saying!"  
Jin cupped her face and gently wiped her tears with his thumbs, "No, you are not listening to me, Yuna."  
**_Arrghhhh_**  
Yuna shoved against him, desperate to make him listen. To make him understand. She would not be made into something she was not. She would not be set up to fail. Her heart couldn't take the eventual heartbreak.  
"Obstinate man! Stubborn as a goat and twice as thick!"  
Jin let out a surprised laugh at her outburst, "ME?"  
She shoved him again for good measure. "YES, YOU! Foolish arrogant man! You think you can just wave your hands and make the world do exactly what you wish! Not even listening to what people tell you!"  
Jin didn't laugh, but he did smile as he slowly tried to bring her back towards himself.  
"Yuna, I always listen to you. Ever since I fell from the bridge at Kaneda, and died a second time for trying to do things as a samurai would."  
He said that with an easy smile and it upset her to hear him talk about his death so easily.  
Yuna jerked her head and looked away from him. " ** _Don't remind me!_** "  
His rough hand caressed her cheek and gently made her look at him again.  
"Yuna.. I - "  
Suddenly they heard Kaze whinnying in distress, almost screaming, with sounds of muffled bucking and some kind of scuffle.  
All softness fled from both of them, but especially in Jin. His eyes were hard and flat, as were the lines of his lips. She could feel the tension in the steel bands of his muscles as he readied himself to fight whoever or whatever was out there bothering the horse. He was no longer just Jin, he was the Ghost of Tsushima.


	5. The Narrowest Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they finally kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * please do not jump from rooftops *

All softness had left Jin's voice as he asked, "Do you have your weapons, Yuna?"  
Yuna was already wiping her face and the remnants of her tears as she tied back her hair and grabbed her over shirt from the floor.   
She whispered back, "I have my knife, and my bow and arrows are in the corner. And you, Jin? Just your blades?"  
Jin was putting his undershirt back on and looking around the old temple as he answered, "Yes. I left everything else outside next to our packs."   
He paused, making sure his belt was still secured correctly and adjusted his katana and tanto blades. Then tied his own hair back up in a knot. He motioned Yuna over to the back corner next to the storage boxes.  
Quietly, he outlined his plan, "We'll climb up these boxes and head up towards the hole in the roof. Then circle around to scout their numbers and take them from above. I'll go first, take out as many as I can by surprise, then you start firing your arrows at any that hang back on the outskirts, any other archers. Ok?"  
Yuna finished putting her quiver harness on and put her bow over top. "Yes."  
Jin suddenly gave a small grin and mischievously added, "I'll try not to ruin your stitches."  
Yuna tapped him playfully on the chest and replied, "You better not!"  
She let her hand rest on his shirt and absently curled her fingers against the material, almost but not quite gripping it, and added, "Please be careful, Jin."  
Jin turned her fully to face him then slowly pulled her close. He gently cupped her face and softly replied, "I always know that you are waiting for me, Yuna. If there is breath left in my body, I will always come home to you. You saved me, and now my life is yours. It has been since Komoda."  
Yuna's eyes went wide, but all thought was lost as he bent down to kiss her. And her world was changed. She quickly opened to his onslaught and welcomed it. Every nerve came alive within her body as she felt all the things he meant to say, all his passion and devotion, in that one quick kiss. She was on fire for him. She knew then he had meant every word he had ever said to her, and had tasted his unspoken words and future promises upon her lips. She cleaved to him, craving more. It wasn't enough, it would never be enough. She felt more alive than she ever had been, and for that moment, cherished and not alone.   
Jin broke it off just as quickly but his eyes showed how very much he wished he could continue what he started. Both of them were breathing hard and struggled to get back under control.  
"This isn't finished, but we have no time."  
He let his thumb slowly caress her lips as if to memorize their texture.   
In a low voice, he vowed, "I will always come back to you, Yuna."  
Yuna, in wonder, reached forward and traced his cheek, memorizing the texture, "Jin.."  
He leaned into her hand for that moment, savoring her touch, then with regret, grasped her hands in his own to stop their touching, and motioned for her to climb up the boxes.  
She gave a quick nod, readjusted her bow, and grabbed Jin by his shirt for a quick peck. He would not have the last word with Yuna of Yarikawa.  
"You better not get hurt, Sakai Jin!"  
He grinned in the dark, and whispered a low reply full of longing, "As my lady commands."  
Yuna unconsciously shivered at his reply, got a hold of herself, then gave him a quick glare before climbing up the boxes and jumping up to the rafter.  
She crept along the beam towards the hole in the ceiling, watching for any cobwebs or beams that had fallen. Here they were being attacked, and she felt unreasonably happy.  
Smiling in the dark, she whispered in a growl, "You just wanted me to go first so you could look at my behind!"  
Jin easily leapt from the boxes to the beam behind her, crouching and also ducking against the decay, replied, "A view infinitely more preferable than this old temple."  
She gave a mock muffled growl of displeasure and exited outside. As they both crouched on the tiled roof, they saw that whatever was on the temple grounds had not come from the front gate. Yuna motioned for Jin to go ahead of her as they both circled to the right and around the temple towards the back where Kaze was still neighing and apparently winning a fight against whoever was trying to subdue him.  
Jin gave a small smile in pride and whispered, "Samurai trained horse."   
He then slowed and crouched lower as he came upon the corner. Both of them peeked over the tiled rise in the roof at the commotion below. It looked like a bandit had lead a Mongol scouting party back to their camp. He and a Mongol spearman were arguing despite a language barrier, while the rest of the Mongols were walking down the path and filing out the perimeter.   
The bandit was cursing Kaze, but insisting it was the Ghost's mount.   
"Damnable horse! And damn you Mongols! This is the Ghost's horse! He's here! The Ghost is here! You better pay me, damn you!"  
Yuna counted at least six Mongols, not including the bandit traitor, who was trying to avoid Kaze's flailing hooves. The spearman hung back and watched indifferently at his charge as some of the Mongols came up behind him and began whispering in their own language.   
Just as she began worrying over the soldiers discovering their packs by the fire, Jin began to move forward, silent as death. She saw him calculate his course in a mere moment, unsheathe his tanto, then leap towards the bandit and Mongols. It was like watching the swift hand of death in motion, almost too fast for her to follow, and whoever he touched died. Simple as that.   
He fell upon the traitor bandit first, stabbing him in the neck with all his weight. Yuna could hear the crunch from where she hid. Then before the bandit had even fallen to the ground, Jin was upon the Mongol spearman, rolling into a lunging thrust into his unguarded throat and up through his jaw. The Mongol fell to his knees gurgling on his blood, but Jin had already moved to the next target. Jin took the momentum from the first lunge, rolled over the falling Mongol's back, then shot out and behind the second Mongol, stabbing deep into his back.   
Yuna was not idle while Jin began his assault. She had freed her bow and crept along the tiles to scope out the remaining Mongols, who were now coming towards the commotion Jin was creating. She saw an archer who was walking along the cliff in the back of the temple grounds, and just as quickly as she registered him, she pulled an arrow from her quiver and sent it flying towards his head. It went through his skull and the archer collapsed in the tufts of grass along the edge. Yuna saw a straggler on the lone back path to the temple and decided to thin their numbers, one by one. She fired off a shot at the straggler but because of the distance it hit him in the belly. He would not die right away, but he was incapacitated until either she could fire another shot or Jin came to finish him off.   
She then sighted the next soldier who was a small distance away and had turned back at the straggler's cry of pain. She nocked her arrow and let it fly loose, hitting that soldier in the back. He cried out as well, grasping at his back, trying to reach the arrow. She quickly fired off another arrow, which again hit him in the back. He stumbled and fell to one knee, but Yuna kept firing. Another arrow hit his side, and he let lose an even more anguished cry. She hoped it hit something vital. She fired off another arrow and somehow the timing arranged itself so that her arrow pinned his grasping hand to his back. He fell forward to the ground with another cry of pain. That left the last Mongol at the end of the pathway and nearer to the temple, caught between Jin's oncoming attack and Yuna's arrows.   
Jin did not stop and Yuna did not hesitate. She quickly saw a flash of fear run across the Mongol's face in the moonlight and knew he would try to run. She could not have him alert any other patrols. Yuna quickly fired off a shot right in his face, and didn't even have to look to know that Jin would follow up with a killing blow in a few paces. She turned to the edge of the roof and let Jin have the kill.   
She heard another gurgling cry of pain as Jin sliced him down, but she was concentrating on how to get down. She supposed she could circle the roof again and go back the way she came. The roof looked too high to jump down from. She frowned in thought.  
"Yuna!"  
She glanced away from the edge and towards Jin who was striding back. It looked like he had finished off the other Mongols as well, making sure they were dead.  
"Yes? What is it? I think I have to circle back to get down!"  
Jin walked up to the roof line below her and smiled.   
"No you don't, just jump down."  
Yuna crouched lower on the roof and immediately began shaking her head.  
"Sakai Jin, you're mad if you think I'm going to jump down and break both my legs!"  
Jin laughed at her distress which made her scowl at him.  
"And now you're laughing at me! I'll make my own way down, thank you!"  
Jin put his arms out and corrected her, "Yuna, I'll catch you!"  
She gripped the tiles hard and screeched her displeasure, "No you won't! I'll fall and break my neck, and you'll hurt yourself trying to catch me!! Foolish man!"  
He laughed and didn't take offence, "Come, Yuna. Trust me! I will catch you."  
She banged the tiles in her temper, "You're just showing off! There is no way you'll catch me!"  
He folded his arms in seriousness, and awaited her compliance. "Do you not trust me, Yuna?"  
She banged the tiles again and yelled, "A sensible person would just walk around to the back and be sensible!!"  
"And yet you are still here."  
_Aargghhhhhh!!!_  
**_"I want you to know you are the most foolish man in all of Tsushima, Sakai Jin!"_**  
Jin grinned and held out his arms again, sensing she would comply.  
**_Aarrghhhhhh!!!_**  
Yuna crept closer to the edge, muttering curses and trying to gauge how she would jump.  
_"If I break my neck and die I will haunt you for the rest of your miserable life, Jin!"_  
She jumped towards him, and she did not break her neck, or her legs. Jin merely grunted with effort of catching her, then held her close. She clasped her arms around his neck in fear, her heart beating as fast as a rabbit's.   
She felt Jin smile against the shell of her ear and whisper, "I will always catch you, Yuna."  
She hugged him tight for a moment, waiting for her heart to slow down, then eased down his body and he let her go.  
"I could have died! You could have died! What were you thinking? I can't believe I let you talk me into jumping! Where did my sense go?"  
Yuna turned to check on the bodies, but Jin gently dragged her back and kissed her. This kiss was filled with relief and happiness that filled her up and made her forget her ire for a moment. It made her happier than she had been in quite a long while.  
When they broke apart, she leaned her face into the crook of his neck and simply was held. A night breeze gently rustled the scarlet leaves upon the ground, and created a flurry more from the giant maple tree in the temple ground.  
After a moment, she asked, "What shall we do, Jin? Do we stay here and keep watch? Or move out?"  
Jin considered the options, weighed them, and threw the question back to her, "What would you prefer?"  
Still resting her head upon him, she turned her head and looked out unseeing at the temple grounds. All options had risks and consequences, all had work that needed to be done. She was so tired.  
"I think we should stay. Just for the night. Kushi Temple won't have any extra room for us, especially with any refugees that show up."  
She lifted her head to look up at him, "Is it wrong of me, to wish for a little time for ourselves?"  
Jin lifted a stray lock of her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. His gaze was warm and loving. She wished she could fill a cup with that emotion and drink it down.  
"I don't think so at all, Yuna. We'll have to consider where we want to set up a more permanent residence, once we finish our business at Kushi Temple."  
His eyes became sad however as he added, "I can not go back to Omi Village or my home. We shall have to find someplace new."  
Yuna lay her head back down upon his shoulder and hugged him.  
"I'm sorry, Jin."  
She was sorry for all he had suffered. She remembered his face when he had returned from his duel with his uncle, sparing his life. He broke down, collapsed in front of her, and cried. All she could do at the time was kneel next to him, hold him, and rub his back, as he told her what happened in a voice raw with grief. He would not kill his only family. He could not.  
Jin held her closer, perhaps sensing all the words she couldn't say, and said, "I'm sorry too, Yuna."  
Yuna nodded on his shoulder, and knew he was apologizing for Taka.   
But it was important she reminded him again, "It wasn't your fault, Jin."  
Jin just held her and didn't answer. Probably still thinking there was a way he could have saved Taka. And there wasn't.


	6. The Road to Solace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin & Yuna confess their feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slightly nsfw, I think I might do a side smut chapter for their night in the temple
> 
> (apologies for those who wanted straight fluff)
> 
> I will be continuing the story after as well, as they head back to Kushi Temple.

Yuna sighed against Jin's chest, then began to gently untangle herself. She was nothing if not a practical realist. Yet, for a moment she let her fingers absorb the texture of his skin against hers as she trailed them across his chest. Of which she had plans. But that was later.  
"Were you able to scrub the dishes from dinner earlier? Or does it still need to be done?"  
Jin scoffed at her doubt and replied, "Of course they are done! Did I not say I would?"  
Yuna felt her ire rising, "Yes! But you were attacked by that bandit! And then we were attacked by the scouting party! It would be perfectly reasonable if they happened to not be done."  
Jin did not deign to give a rude noise of derision, but Yuna felt he wanted to and was trying to practice some vague samurai code of what, she did not know. Possibly not giving in to being rude. Possibly a hidden vow to try and achieve perfection on this earthly plane in six easy steps. Most likely because Jin was just a patient man who was still trying to woo her. She felt herself drawn to him like no one else, she would not even think about deeper feelings that she was not ready to examine, BUT she really felt the need to drum her fingers on his chest in agitation. Yet she did not. TWO could pretend to be refined responsible adults. The sweet stubborn goat.  
"Thank you, Jin, for being perfect and doing dishes while simultaneously being attacked. I apologize for doubting you."  
He grinned, grabbed her and kissed her again.  
"You do make my heart light, Yuna."  
_Well what were you supposed to say to that? Honestly!_ , thought Yuna. Her ire melted away under the warmth of his regard.  
"Well, I certainly haven't made it easy."  
"I disagree. It was very easy. You brought me back to life and showed me the way. Your bravery and unswerving loyalty also inspired me. Not to mention your beauty."  
Yuna could feel herself blushing and she could honestly not recall the last time she blushed. Probably when she was twelve. She began to absently drum her fingers on his chest, then realized what she was doing when he laughed.  
Teasingly, he added, "Are you not going to say what attractions I held for you? Do I not get praise as well?"  
Yuna was surprised into a laugh, and replied, "What can I say? Was it your twitching body on the beach, heavy as a horse, as I dragged you to safety? _(By the kami, you were so heavy!)_ Was it your arrow riddled broad back?"  
Yuna leaned forward to tease him back in turn.  
"Perhaps it was your ungodly stubbornness to not pass from this world without a fight?"  
She splayed her fingers across his chest, easing open his shirt, then rubbing and feeling the texture of the sparse hairs there. Jin inhaled but stood still under her teasing.   
"Perhaps I was impressed by your warrior's chest?"  
He deft fingers roamed higher, much to his mild disappointment, but she felt him perk up again as his muscled tensed under her roaming. Her hands softly cradled his face, then rubbed his scruffy stubble in wanton enjoyment. She smiled at finally getting one of her wishes.  
"Perhaps it was your serious face," she paused and ran her fingers over his lips, memorizing their shape and feel.   
Her voice a low caress, she added, "Perhaps it was your lips that looked so kissable, even then."  
And then it was her turn to kiss him. She leaned forward to lick at his lips, and when he opened for her, she drank down everything he was in that kiss and poured out all the feelings she couldn't say yet. It was like drinking down the sun and most expensive sake all in one. She felt alive and almost drunk at how he made her feel. She felt his arm tighten in response, almost subconsciously, on his part. She reveled in the subdued strength she felt in his arms and wanted more. Her last coherent thought beat in time to her heart - _more, more, more, more!_  
When they broke apart at last, both were breathing heavy and her lips were tingling from their kiss. As was the rest of her. She was achingly aware that every part of her was tingling and wanting more.  
She twined her arms around his neck and teasingly added, "Hmm.. maybe it was some other things too. Something about honor, loyalty, and never giving up. Maybe something about caring too much about others. I'm not sure, but possibly going above and beyond to help people. That one might be a negative."  
After her kiss, Jin could only reply, "Yuna.." as he tried to concentrate on what she was saying.  
She laughed, adding again, "Ask me sometime about your negative traits! I could go on for days."  
She grinned at his disgruntled expression. He didn't like that at all.  
"I'm sure you could, Yuna."  
Yuna lifted her chin haughtily and replied, "As I'm sure you could talk about my own negative traits."  
Jin smiled mischievously, and twined his fingers in her hair.  
Then replied in an equally haughty tone, "I'm not sure what traits they would be. I'm quite sure my Yuna is perfect in every regard."  
_Oh, he was good._  
"Your Yuna, eh?"  
"Are you?"  
She sighed, well and truly caught. She couldn't even complain, the bastard. He probably planned out possibilities in advance, wrote haiku's to her virtues, and already picked the spot for a house for both of them. Devious, arrogant man.  
"I am yours, Jin. My fate was intertwined with yours since Komoda."  
Jin held her a bit closer and asked, "And is that all that binds us, Yuna? Fate?"  
Yuna picked at his shirt and answered, "No, that is not all. My heart was yours when when you rescued Taka, and then when you killed the slavers that had hurt me, long ago. I could not go into that place, not for all the money in the world. I was in agony and my heart crying out for vengeance against them. I wished my cries could have split the earth and swallow them whole. There was a torrent of hurt in my heart for what they did. But I could not move. Not one inch."  
Yuna hugged Jin and hid her face against his chest, looking anywhere but his kind eyes.  
"But you did. You promised me vengeance. You did not owe me anything, yet you risked your life to do as I asked. You went into that evil, evil place, and rid the world of those monsters. For me."  
She rubbed her cheek against him, absently seeking comfort from the memories, and Jin just held her and gave her the comfort she was seeking. She had a feeling he would always be there to hold her.  
Jin fervently answered her in a torrent of words, "My life is yours Yuna. Anything you ask, is yours. I would lay the world down at your feet, if you asked it. Not only for Komoda, but because you hold my heart in your hands. Others may see me as hero or a monster, a grisly figure of myth who protects the island against invaders. Others may still see me as Lord Sakai. But you have always seen me just as I am. You have seen into the heart of me. It's you who was there for me after I fell, time and time again. It was you who saved me and aided me. It was you, who has made me feel human again. It was you who makes me laugh and fills my day with a reason for living."  
He gently stroked her hair, adding, "You are home to me, Yuna. I will always come back to you, if you will always have me."  
_She would not cry. She would not cry._  
Yuna answered his unspoken question, but took her time to say, "You make me feel safe, Jin. I know I can always depend on you and trust you with my life. Time and time again, you show your heart to me by being so thoughtful and kind. I don't know that I deserve your devotion, I would have done anything to save my brother, but I'm grateful for everything you have done for me."  
She paused and fussed with his shirt again, trying to get it right, so Jin merely waited.  
"No, that's not quite right. You make my heart feel light, for the first time in such a long time. You make me feel protected and beautiful. You make me laugh. I'm happy with you, Jin. I can just be myself with you, and you still think I'm worth your time or attention. You don't see my past or a peasant woman, you just see me, and still want me. You utterly trust me as well. Your utter kindness, your devotion to help others, your loyalty, and your strength to remain true to your ideals, no matter what the cost. I know you would always be there for me, always come for me."  
Yuna lifted her head to smile at him, her heart shining through her eyes and overflowing with unheeded tears, "How could I not love you?"  
Jin lifted her up and kissed her hard, overcome with emotion as well. It was a fierce kiss that threatened to devour her, but she welcomed it. She crossed her legs behind his back and was lost in the moment, even when Jin readjusted his stance to hold her. She would die if she couldn't be with Jin tonight. She felt she was being consumed.   
Jin then picked her up and began walking towards the entrance to the temple. Her pulse quickened and she was suddenly on fire. Her skin felt too tight and hot, her clothes too restrictive, and the core of her ached.  
Sanity returned for a moment, and she broke her kiss to fuss over Jin.  
"Jin, is your arm ok? I can walk if you wish. Please don't hurt yourself over me."  
Breathing heavy from what was coming and carrying her up the stairs, he answered, with a labored laugh, "We're already up the stairs, Yuna. I told you earlier, I would do anything for you."  
He ducked under the shredded remains of the shoji door and gently placed her down.  
"I trust your stitchings." He paused to caress her face, "And you, Yuna."  
In a low voice he added, "You have but to ask, and I will place the stars at your feet."  
Yuna didn't answer, but her heart was full to bursting. She supposed that you could take the man from the samurai, but some traits would still hold true. And this one had poetry in his soul. She took off her bow and gently placed it on the altar, then her quiver of arrows, followed by her knife sheath. She untied her belt, slipped off her over shirt, then her pants, and stood there in bare legs in just her under shirt.  
Jin's breathing quickened as she undid her hair and let her headband fall to the floor with her clothes. He began to undo his belt and put his swords on the floor, underneath her weapons, and after much untying, whipped off his shirt in record time, his chest heaving with want for her.  
As his hands went to undo his pants, they stilled at the sight of her ever so slowly revealing her bare shoulder. She smiled at that and began to slowly strip from her shirt. First one shoulder, then the other, now both bare to the moonlight, then she bared her breasts and he literally stopped breathing. She almost laughed as she let the shirt slowly waft to the floor.  
Naked before him, she stretched to her full glory and then sinuously walked towards him, giving her hips extra emphasis as she did so. She leaned over him, her aching breasts slowly dragged against his hot skin, and whisper in his ear, "Breathe, Jin."  
And he did. It was if he had come alive again with the ferocity of an oncoming storm. Gone just as quickly as his shirt, gone were now his pants, and she saw how much he wanted her with every lungful of air.   
She felt alive, excited, and cherished. She sensed that Jin would always cherish her in the oncoming days, and for once, she couldn't wait to see what the next day would bring. Because every day would be a new adventure together, and she would never have to doubt or be alone again.  
But for here and now, she had some very wonderful plans. She smiled a mischievous smile and Jin forgot to breathe again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: in case anyone wants to read the NSFW sidestory it's here: [Ch1: For Tonight](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25910995/chapters/62970967)


	7. Farewell to Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a quiet moment the morning after, Jin & Yuna get ready to leave the old temple

Jin and Yuna had lain intertwined together for a bit, enjoying being connected for a little while longer, but reality began to set in. Yuna got up and began to clean herself with spare water and a rag, but Jin decided he wanted to do it since he was partly responsible. It was almost like he was worshipping her with his care, and inside her heart Yuna almost wept at his kindness and devotion. She wanted to return the favor. She slowly began to caress his corded arm, sliding up and over his biceps in an unspoken invitation. She found that what she felt for him went beyond what the poets said of love. She felt as if a dam in her heart had been broken, and a great ocean of feelings mere words could never convey were spilling forth. She would walk barefoot across the ends of the world for him. It was almost too much, but she knew Jin had to feel the same and would be right with her for every step of their journey together.   
She silently took the rag from him, rinsed it in the water, and began to wipe down the sweat and mess from Jin as well. She took her time, and filled every gesture, every caress, with all the love and unsaid words in her heart. Every swipe, she was learning the curve of his musculature, the texture of his skin, committing it to memory.   
The candles had burned low as she finished, and Jin gently brushed her hair from her eyes. He sensed she wanted to do more, but knew she was still tired from the day. He took the rag and bucket and put it outside. Then he took a towel and began drying any excess water from both her and himself. He then sat back down on the mat and slowly pulled her back into his arms again.  
"Rest now, my Yuna. Tomorrow we ride towards Kushi Temple and I truly do wish for you to be well rested."  
She turned in his arms, just drinking in his face with her gaze. She reached up and caressed his face, fighting her tiredness, just wanting another moment to be close with him. Finally, after blinking her eyes so many times to stave off sleep, she brought her hands down to catch her yawn, and snuggled down against him, her hair spilled out against his arm. She breathed in his scent, and for the first time in a long, long time, felt completely safe and content. She could just be her deepest self with him. Maybe tomorrow, if he wasn't looking, or if he got called away, she could find some place to cry. She had so many feelings to sort out. But for now, she let herself drift away, safe in his arms.  
When she was asleep, she didn't see Jin stare down at her trusting sleeping self with his heart full to bursting. She didn't see him as he gently memorized the planes of her face, the slope of her lashes, and thread his fingers through her hair. His last thought before succumbing to sleep himself was, _she is my home now_.  
Morning came soon enough, and Jin was the first one up. A little later and yawning, Yuna sat up from her mat, letting the blanket fall around her as she blearily remembered where she was and what had happened last night. She sleepily blinked back at the morning light and cacophonous birdsong outside then stretched and rubbed at her face. When last night finally registered she put the blanket back over her head in embarrassment. Not for the sex, _which had been amazing and she'd very much like to do that again_ , but for her emotional vulnerability, which not so much.   
_**Arrghhhhh**_  
"Well, that was worth coming back to check on you."  
Yuna whipped the blanket back off and swiveled around to the open shoji door where Jin stood, already dressed apparently. Yuna groaned in embarrassment and collapsed backwards.  
"Don't you have to meditate on haiku's or something?" she grumbled from the floor.  
Yuna felt hungover just looking at him despite not drinking anything last night. _Morning people!_  
Jin laughed at her disgruntlement, undiscouraged, and looking very much content.  
Half serious, he replied, "I did that earlier this morning. Then practiced my blade in the yard while you slept peacefully."  
Yuna tried not to make a face and replied back, "Thank you for letting me sleep."  
"You needed it. I would let you sleep longer and spoil you by whatever means I could, but we should start to get ready."  
Yuna got up and began folding the blanket, then searched for her clothes.   
Jin quietly came up behind her took the blanket and handed her shirt back to her.  
"Ah, thank you, Jin!"  
Jin was about to reply then wiped his hand across his mouth as she faced him to put her shirt back on, flashing him with a full frontal view as she put her arms through the sleeves.  
With a regretful tone, he replied, "Ah, it's too bad we must leave so soon."  
Yuna teasingly answered, "Yes, such a shame."   
In a mock serious tone, she added, "Yes, we must make haste towards the temple. Mustn't be late!"  
She had just finished putting her pants on, when she felt Jin's arms lift her up from her feet. Yuna let out a surprised laugh, uncontrolled and joyous, but quickly dissolved into a surprised "oof!" as Jin almost dropped her and caught her again.  
She suddenly felt his forehead lean against the back of her neck, as if trying to bury himself there.  
"Jin?"  
She felt him rub his face as if shaking his head "no", so merely waited for him to say what he had to say in his own time.  
After a few moments, he answered, "That was the first time I heard you laugh."  
Yuna put her hands on his arms in comfort as she thought back on their time together and felt her brows furrow.  
"No, I'm sure I laughed before?"  
Jin slowly shook his head against her again and gently kissed her neck.  
"Not like this." He paused and briefly tightened his hold in a hug, still holding her up as if it was nothing, and added, "I would gladly give anything to hear that sound again, many times over. ... for the rest of my life, Yuna.."  
**_"Jin."_**  
Yuna gently wiggled to let him know that she wanted down, which he reluctantly did. She turned to face him within the cage of his arms and just gazed up at him in a tumult of emotions.  
Jin merely gazed back, his entire heart reflected back at her.   
"I meant what I said before at Lord Shimura's camp. I would give my life for you."  
Yuna stepped closer, enclosed his face within her hands, and replied, "As I would for you, Jin. My life.. has never been easy.. but you are one of the few shining moments of happiness I've had."  
Yuna smiled a small smile and tilted her head as she threw his own words back to him, "As long as you never leave me. Stay by my side, always, Jin."  
Jin leaned forward and kissed her slowly, and Yuna felt as if it was the sweetest kiss imaginable that she never wanted to end. She leaned in closer, trying to take it all in. After a few moments more of after kissing, she leaned forward and hugged him. She felt his arms encircle her back and she felt she would always find home within his arms. She slowly caressed his back, content for the moment.  
After a few moments more, Jin let her go with a kiss to her temple.  
"We should hurry, we need to leave as soon as possible."  
Yuna made a face, quickly kissed his jaw, then turned to finish getting dressed and packed. She felt Jin trail his fingers over her back as she bent over, then left to finish his own packing. _He was the sweetest man in the world._ Still stubborn as a goat though.  
She sighed, tied back her hair, threw on her over shirt, her belt, shoes, weapons, and packs, then grabbed her toiletries. She would put her things on Kaze's packs, then run to the river really quick to freshen up. She stepped outside, saw Jin still packing amidst the falling scarlet leaves, and headed over to Kaze to follow through with her plan.  
Kaze whickered a greeting to her.  
"Aaa, good morning to you, Kaze."   
She took a moment to pet him, and added, "I'm sorry I was not able to tell you last night about how brave and fierce you were!'   
Kaze snuffed into her hair and shuffled a hoof.  
Yuna shrugged her shoulders at the hot breath on her neck and laughed softly, then gave him one last pat as she loaded up the packs with her meager things. Once done, she turned back to walk across the leafy courtyard, and shouted over her shoulder.  
"Jin! I'm heading down to the river for a moment! I'll be right back!"  
"Be quick, then!"  
"Yes, yes!"  
Yuna hurried up, squeezed past the cart, and quickly almost ran down the path towards the river, keeping an eye out for trouble as she went. When none was forthcoming, she sat on a boulder by the river and quickly freshened up. Once done she flicked the excess water back at the river, then dried off her hands and wiped her face as she looked out across the expansive grassland meadows. The sky was so blue this morning, but the wind was picking up and blowing like a rippling wave across the tall grass beyond the river. She hesitantly reached out as if she could stroke her hand across the rolling grass beyond the river, then sighed and put her hand back down. She gathered up her things and walked back the way she came, one last time past the guardian statues, up the eroded stone steps, past the stone lanterns and gnarled trees, and being careful of her step as the leaves had blown even down the front pathway. One last time, she eased past the cart blocking the gate, and walked back towards their camp.  
She saw that Jin had put the fire out, cleared everything around the camp and was trying to put everything away. She walked up towards Jin and Kaze to put the last of her things away and help with the packing.  
"Ah, Yuna. I left some tea and rice out for you if you'd like that for breakfast. Otherwise, our next meal will be at Kushi Temple later."  
"Thank you, Jin. Here let me help you put these away."  
"No, that's ok, I'd rather you eat first. I have it."  
"Jin, it's no trouble, let me help."  
"You can help by eating first."  
"Aahh fine! Stubborn man!"  
Jin flashed a quick smile and continued putting things away. Yuna gave a small growl and walked where he indicated, finding a small bowl of rice and hot tea on the steps of the temple waiting for her. As she ate and sipped her tea, she plotted what nice things she could do for Jin. He was the sweetest, kindest man alive, but also the stubbornest. Luckily, she was also stubborn, and had some very good ideas of how she could repay him. _Heh._  
Jin called out to her from Kaze, "I'm beginning to know that look, Yuna of Yarikawa!"  
Yuna pretended to be affronted, "I don't know what you're speaking of Sakai Jin! I am merely here doing as I was bidden and eating my breakfast!"  
She _hmphhed_ and finished her tea, hiding her smile in her tea cup. She then got up to go wash out her dishes. _Guess I had one more trip down to the river, heh,_ she thought.   
She found Jin's dishes already stacked a little ways a way, grabbed them, and headed down once more. She washed them as quickly as possible then practically raced back to Jin and the packs. She found the pack for dishes, put them away neatly, then repacked it on Kaze and helped with the rest.   
When they were finished, Yuna stood beside a fully dressed Jin, who had his swords buckled neatly, wore his weapons and small packs around his body, yet only had half his armor on. Which fair enough, not only was it kind of warm today, but since they were riding double it would be harder for them both if he had full armor on.   
Yuna stretched and absently asked, "Will Kaze be able to carry all this, and the both of us? Should we actually take the cart?"  
Jin was doing a final sweep, making sure nothing was left behind and everything cleared. He had heard her though and answered, "Kaze is a samurai bred and trained horse. This what they were bred to do. We won't need the cart as we'll be crossing the river at the narrowest point, and avoiding the main bridge. It would be too hard to take up the back way, through the forest paths, and over the rickety bridge that we'll be crossing. Besides, the trip to Kushi Temple should not be that long. He'll be spoiled again soon enough."  
He came back up to her petted Kaze, gazed one last time around the courtyard, then turned to Yuna.  
"Are you ready to go? All packed?"  
"One last thing, one moment!"  
She raced back to the temple, double checked again, then found her flower where she left it last night. She gently lifted it, then paused to touch its petals and smell it again. She smiled and put it behind her ear as she walked back out.  
"I'm ready now."  
Jin smiled and held Kaze as she mounted the horse, then quickly got up behind her. He clicked at Kaze to start walking forward, and began trotting up the back path from the temple grounds.   
Yuna took one last look behind her, at the beautiful majestic maple tree with the flurry of scarlet maple leaves still falling, the courtyard of leaves, and the old ruined temple being reclaimed by moss and nature. She would miss this place. It had provided sanctuary in the storm of their lives, even if it had been briefly interrupted. But she would remember this place always and the first night she had spent in Jin's embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry, i was going to add some action to this chapter, but it wound up being that all the fluffy domestic stuff had to come first.  
> i promise the next chapter will be actiony


	8. Within Striking Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin and Yuna have a very exciting morning as they leave the ruins for Kushi Temple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was fun to write >:3c

They made their way up the winding path and came out into the old forest, with gnarled twisted trees overgrown with moss and vines. The air smelled like damp leaves, mud, and stagnant greenery in the humid air. Yuna wasn't fond of the bugs so was very grateful they made it to the edge of the forest and back to the so called "bridge" connecting to the other side of the river. Unfortunately, they spotted another scouting band in the distance, with two hawk handlers.  
Yuna slapped the pommel of the saddle in muted outrage, and loudly muttered, "REALLY?"  
She felt Jin quietly chuckle at her outburst, feeling the rumble of his chest against her back, which did calm her a bit and made her think of maybe exploring that further with Jin later. Perked her right up, if she was honest.  
Jin quietly dismounted from Kaze, then helped Yuna down as well.  
Yuna's brow furrowed as she whispered, "I can get down by myself, Jin."  
Jin smiled and traced her cheek, "I know, but I like holding you."  
She tilted her head and replied in an amused voice, "As you wish."   
He was so sweet and silly with his foolishness. She sighed and grabbed her bow and arrows, then secured her sword and dagger as Jin was doing the same. They lead Kaze back deeper into the forest and Jin gave a samurai command for Kaze to stay, leaving him there as they both quietly crept back to the forest edge and hid among the brambles.  
Not taking her eyes off of the soldiers, she whispered a quick plan, "I can shoot the hawks and a few guards before they notice, but before i do it would be best if you sneak over the river bank and get to the tall grass to take the rest out once I start shooting."  
Jin replied back in a teasing tone, "You think you can take out the hawks? From here?"  
Yuna bristled and turned to face his teasing face, "You doubt me?"  
Jin made calming motions with his hands, and backed away from her ire, laughing quietly, "If my Yuna says that she can, of course she can. I will not doubt."  
Yuna made a rude noise and motioned him away with a dismissive flick of her hand, "Yes, yes, your belief is noted. Now hurry up, Jin!"  
Jin captured her fingers to pull her in for a quick kiss, then moved away again as quick as smoke and pulled out his Ghost mask. Quietly, he crept through the brush and made his way across the river, barely making a sound. He moved with contained focus, every movement coiled and ready to spring into attack, like a tiger in the grass. The tall grass enfolded him in the billowing waves as Jin made his way up the hill.  
Yuna crept a bit closer to the edge of the river, then drew her bow up and readied an arrow. She sighted the farthest hawk handler first with his hawk sitting on his wrist. She knew as she nocked the arrow that it would kill the bird and most likely hit the soldier in the head as well. She exhaled and let the arrow fly across the river and grass, hitting exactly what she aimed for. The bird was instantly killed in a flurry of feathers and blood, and the man fell over with hardly a sound from his horse. Quick as a reflex she grabbed another arrow from her back and aimed at the next target. She killed the bird, but the second soldier almost alerted his companions. He had just brought a Mongol horn to his lips when she shot him down from his horse.  
Jin had crept through the grass and made it to the soldiers that were marching on the road across the river, and she saw the exact moment he chose to strike when he deployed a smoke bomb to cut down as many as he could in the ensuing chaos.  
Yuna used the distraction to cross the shallow point of the river as well and made her way to the tall grass. She crouched and crept up the hill, pausing here and there to get a sense of her surroundings. She saw Jin taking care of the first deployment, and took a few potshots at the soldiers either to distract them or hit them in earnest. She turned however at the sounds of jingling harnesses and pounding hoof beats as the second deployment crested the road. She crouched back down and walked a ways back from the road. She gave a shrill whistle that cut across the fields and hoped Jin heard it. She moved again through the grass and made her way to the top of the hill and behind the troop. She then drew an arrow, aimed, and began shooting into the backs of the soldiers. She downed four before she had to stop and move from her spot again so as not to be caught or shot at.  
She circled down towards Jin and crouched next to a scraggly yew tree. She saw Jin was down to two soldiers, then she looked back up the hill towards the second wave of soldiers at her previous position. A few were striking the grass in hopes of flushing her out while the rest stood back near the road. She stood, grabbed an arrow as quick as thought, and let it fly towards one of the soldiers on horses. Hastily she let loose a second at another, knocking him from the horse and spooking it towards the field across the road. She hit a few more that were distracted by the horse, then crouched down and hid again before she was spotted. She swung wide through the field and tried to go back up the hill again, but she startled a flock of starlings from their seed pecking, and they all shot into the sky in an angry undulating ball of feathers and squawking.  
_Shit shit shit shit shit,_ thought Yuna  
She tried to swing back the way she came, away from the cloud of startled birds, but a soldier raised the alarm and pointed towards her position.   
_Arrrghhhhh_  
She quickened her crouched pace and tried to go back to Jin, when she felt someone grab her arm and jerk her back. She reacted without thought, dropped her bow, and slashed out with her dagger. She was almost afraid it was Jin, but no, she saw that it was definitely a Mongol soldier she had slashed. While he clutched his arm to his stomach, she struck out with her dagger and across his throat. He then toppled back with a spray of blood as he gurgled in the grass.  
Yuna wiped her dagger against the ground and sheathed it again, then picked up her bow and began to move again, away from the body. She was able to only go a small distance when an arrow came whizzing through the grass and landed near her. She hastily veered in another direction, trying to keep as low as possible. She had just made it behind a large boulder in the field, when she heard Jin's voice ring out in challenge to the Mongols.  
"Come and face me, dogs!"  
Yuna closed her eyes and called him foolish ten or so times within the confines of her mind, then peeked out towards the road up the hill. Jin stood defiantly waiting for someone to step forward, his hand hovering over his sword handle. She drew her bow close to her and prepared herself in case she needed to fire.  
Gradually, a soldier cautiously stepped forward against the cheering of cohorts. He turned back one last time and raised his arms as if already celebrating his victory, then turned back to Jin with a growled sneer. He snarled something in his own language, but the meaning was clear, only one would be standing soon. After a few fake feints and pacing the perimeter of the challenge, the soldier finally leapt towards Jin with a downward swing of his own sword, which if connected would have cut deep into his shoulder and chest. However Jin had already _moved_.  
Inhumanly fast, and beyond what her eye could follow, Jin had unsheathed his sword and struck by the time the soldier had only taken that one fateful step. And when his cohorts stepped forward as well and brandished their own weapons, Jin had moved yet again, as if a wind of death carried him forward. He struck down one with a single swipe of his sword, then just as fast moved on to the next, and the next, until five soldiers fell to the ground. One was shooting off a fountain of blood as he lay gasping in the dirt, another attempted to crawl away from the carnage despite his legs not working quite right, crying with every crawled movement forward. With his blade still brandished in the air, Jin pivoted back towards the noise and quickly shoved his blade into crawling soldier's back, ending his miserable life.  
While Jin had turned, Yuna nocked her arrow and shot at some of the remaining soldiers while they were distracted. She got three more before the Mongols caught on and started shouting and pointing towards her boulder. Yet that was all the distraction Jin needed, as he ran towards the remaining soldiers throwing kunai at their faces. A few went down screaming into the grass and dirt, others staggered and pulled out the blades. When Jin was close enough he held his blade before him, ready.  
Yuna heard a Mongol archer cry out, " _Dosho!_ " and circling wide, she ran back up the hill while they were focused on Jin. She found the archer trying to get a good shot from behind the other three facing Jin. She let loose an arrow and quickly fired off another for good measure, crouching down again as the archer fell into the grass.  
Jin changed his position and stance, then just as suddenly was a blur again, cutting down the last remaining soldiers with precision cuts. He checked to make sure they were dead, then flicked the blood from his blade before resheathing it again. Yuna stood up and cautiously made her way over to him, stopping to loot from any soldiers she happened across. She stood from one soldier and saw Jin looting as well, trying to recover kunai and any weapons or supplies from the soldiers.   
Yuna glanced around one last time, then slowly sauntered over to Jin, who looked up at her while wiping off a few kunai he had recovered.  
"Yuna!"  
"As you can see, the hawks were no issue to my bow."  
Jin stood up and bowed to her, which surprised her a bit, then stood and smiled.  
"You are indeed truly deadly with a bow. I had no doubt."  
Yuna rolled her eyes, "I'm sure you didn't. My Jin is so wise and lucky that he has me to watch over him."  
"I am lucky I have my Yuna to watch over me! Fierce, deadly, and beautiful!"  
Yuna made a sarcastic " _mmmhmmmm_ " noise and walked closer.   
"It looks like our welcome party left quite a few horses for us. I'm going to take one, load it up with some of the Mongol supplies, and give them to the monks at Kushi to redistribute, but I was thinking of taking some additional horses? Perhaps they can use them or sell them?"  
She itched underneath her headband where she was getting sweaty from their battle and waited for him to answer.  
"That's a good idea. You ride with the reins of one and I'll take the other. I'm sure the monks would be glad to take them all."  
Yuna inclined her head and went to gather up the horses. A few minutes later she brought them back to Jin and both of them started loading them up with supplies. It made Yuna smile to think about how much this would help someone, how each pack she loaded was another person that didn't go to sleep hungry and crying. She could get used to this.  
She suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder and bemusedly she turned around only to have Jin surprise her with a kiss. _A welcome surprise._ She leaned into him and gripped his armor, savoring the moment. Then just as abruptly he broke off with a grin at her befuddled expression, then gently stroked her cheek.  
She blinked and focused back on Jin, asking, "And what was that for?"  
Jin pulled her close and held her as if to hold her forever next to his heart.  
"Your smile. I would lay the world at your feet for every smile, every joyful laugh, Yuna."  
Yuna buried her face against his armor and felt her face turn red. HE WAS THE SWEETEST MAN AND HE WAS KILLING HER WITH KINDNESS. **_AAAAAAAGGHHHH_**  
Jin laughed softly and held her while she composed herself. She then growled, stepped back, and held him at arms length with fists now clutching his armor.  
"SAKAI JIN, YOU HAD BEST LIVE A LONG, LONG TIME. IF YOU GET HURT OR DIE ON ME I WILL CREATE SUCH A SCENE THAT IT WILL GO DOWN IN THE HISTORY OF TSUSHIMA. **_SCROLLS WILL BE WRITTEN_**. I WILL WAIL AND NEVER GIVE YOU PEACE IN THIS LIFE OR THE NEXT! DO YOU HEAR ME, SAKAI JIN??"  
This time he really did laugh, and placed his hands over her own as he answered, "I think that all of Kushi heard you, Yuna."  
Yuna broke her hands free from his grasp and pointed her finger at him in irritation, then spun on her heel and stalked back to the horses.  
He laughed again, mounted his own horse, and took the reins of one of the spare horses as he began to guide the horses back down the road to the temple road. Yuna mounted as well and followed suit, chin held high in haughty irritation. Which lasted about five minutes if she was being honest with herself. Being with Jin was freeing, she was relearning many things.  
They followed the road which ran parallel with the river when they came to a crossroads - one path went down to the riverbank, one path went back up the hill and ran close to the edge of the bamboo forest, and the last road ran all the length of the river and forest until the lantern path leading up to the temple became visible.  
Jin turned in his saddle to face her as they chose the last road.  
"If we didn't have the extra horses, I'd race you through the bamboo, Yuna."  
Yuna clicked her tongue and answered, "Ah, but that would be very foolish, and surely Lord Sakai would not be so foolish as to risk his life or horse in such a fashion."  
"Ah, you know you would race me, Yuna! I know the truth."  
Yuna made a " _hmmphh_ " sound and tried not to laugh.  
They had only gone a short distance when they heard something a little farther in the bamboo woods. The horses began whickering and pawing at the ground and both Jin and Yuna tensed as well. It sounded like a bear. If they were lucky it would be more scared of them and amble off, if not they'd have to defend themselves and the horses. Yuna briefly wondered if it had smelled the food on the horses, when suddenly she heard Mongol shouting and angry bear growls in retaliation.  
Puzzled, both Jin and Yuna inched the horses forward to see if they could get a better view. They stayed mounted in case they had to make a quick retreat, however. They road a bit further and saw what was causing the commotion through a break in the forest. In the glen up the hill, two straggler soldiers were either defending themselves against or just stupidly fighting a bear by themselves.   
Yuna snorted at the sight and leaned forward to rest her hands on the pommel of her saddle as she watched. Bamboo leaves fell and glided through the dappled sunlight as they watched the two idiots.  
After watching a while in silence, Jin hesitantly asked, "S...should we help.. them??"  
Yuna side-eyed Jin, raised a brow at the question, and slowly answered, "Mmm.. I'm thinking.. nooo... I've seen some of their camps. These idiots capture wild bears to fight their prisoners for sport."  
Jin, so used to helping and rescuing people, opened his mouth to say something, paused, then sat back in his saddle looking flummoxed. On the one hand, he hated the invaders and all the misery they had brought to their island, but on the other, it was built into his bones to help people. So she could understand the conundrum he faced.  
He opened his mouth again, then quickly closed it and furrowed his brow. She almost laughed at his expression.  
Jin shook his head and replied, "You're right. Even if we rescued them, we would have to kill them anyway. We could not take them with us, and they would just hurt more of our people."  
Yuna nodded, then slyly added, "Besides, it would be rude to interrupt the bear. It looks like it can handle itself."  
They both looked on as the bear tossed one soldier across the clearing, ripping his arm in the process. The other soldier tried fending off the beast with his spear while nervously backing up, however he made the fatal mistake of looking behind him, taking his eyes off the bear. The bear seized the opportunity and swiped at the soldier, knocking the spear out of his hands, then following up with a rending blow. The soldier screamed piteously as the bear tore into him with claws and teeth.  
Yuna winced and whispered to Jin, "I think that's our cue to leave. We should go before it smells us and our food."  
Jin nodded and clicked at the horses, urging them into a quick canter down the path and away from the bear. They rode they way for a while until they came upon a break in the bamboo canopy and the road opened out to a view of the river. They slowed the horses back to a walk as they both felt it was now far enough from the bear.  
"Whew! Well our morning has certainly been lively! I just hope the rest of our day is extremely boring."  
Jin glanced at her from the corner of his eye, "Boring, huh?"  
Yuna slyly smiled back and answered, "I'm beginning to know that look, Sakai Jin. I would be interested in any plans you may have, of course."  
Jin picked up the pace with his horses, and said over his shoulder, "Oh, I'm sure I could think of something, my Yuna."


	9. Ever Forward, Ever Upward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally arrived to Kushi Temple, however Jin has plans

As they rode on down the path, they finally came upon the double cross roads at the end of the path. One path sharply veered up and was lined with Buddhas and stone lanterns, the other paths led out to either to the stone bridge crossing the river, or the river path that continued on to the ruins of Old Yarikawa. They made the sharp left and began ascending the statue lined path beneath the shaded tunnel carved from the bamboo forest. As soon as the entered, the air became still and humid, trapped within the tightly growing trees. The sunlight that managed to poke through the canopy was sparse, dappled, and hung lazy upon the greenery turning everything golden green as bamboo leaves rustled and rained down from the trees.  
A feeling of peace overcame Yuna, as if she had entered a world separate from all the war and strife of Tsushima. She sighed as she looked around the tunnel and sadly thought, _if only_.  
The path curved ever upward, with the occasional stone steps thrown in to prevent erosion, until at last they came to more stone steps and saw a gate at the end of the bamboo tunnel. The gate was part of a massive walled enclosure that led into the temple proper. One of the monks was out sweeping the entrance when he caught sight of their small caravan. He stopped his broom and bowed slightly towards Jin.  
"My lord. Welcome back to Kushi Temple."  
From atop Kaze, Jin halted his horses and spoke, "We have supplies and horses for you. Where would you like me to take them."  
The old man smiled beatifically at Jin, quietly placed his broom against the wall, and walked forward until he was at Jin's feet. He put his hands within the folds of his robes for a moment as he thought.  
"Ah, thank you, Lord Sakai. We will house them for now and then find the best way to make use of them. We thank you for your generosity."  
He bowed before Jin, then yelled for some more monks to come help with the horses and unload. As the various monks saw what they had brought there was a susurrus of "thank you's" as they moved everything inside the large courtyard inside. When they were free to move, both Jin and Yuna dismounted and led their own mounts inside as well, tying them near the gate with some hay that had been hastily put out for the horses.  
Yuna looked around the courtyard, taking in the peaceful pond with waterlilies, the Buddha statue peacefully overlooking it, the wide stone path bordered by more stone lanterns, the tall pagoda on the left, the temple proper on the right, and the karesansui rock gardens near the other side of the courtyard. Instead of grass, the monks had cultivated moss which covered just about everything there, with small groves of tall bamboo for shade and aesthetic. Everything was very old, and very well maintained. She knew without looking that the monks had cared for and polished the old wood of the temple for centuries, and hopefully would continue on many more centuries from now. Yuna idly wondered what such a world would even look like. Yet at the same time, she fervently wished there would be little pockets of peaceful sanctuaries like this in the future. People could be complete monsters that could convince you that maybe all of humanity should be wiped from the earth, but then you find other people who were gentle caretakers and protectors, who worked against impossible odds to help both people and nature, creating beauty that could ripple on throughout the long ribbon of time. _The world needed more kind people_.  
Yuna's attention went back to Jin as he spoke to one of the monks.  
"Is Norio here? Or Lady Masako?"  
Yuna blinked at Lady Masako's name and wondered what on earth would she have reason to come here?  
The monk shook his head and answered, "The Abbot is expected later today, my lord. As for Lady Masako, she is expected tomorrow. I've ah.. been informed that she was not pleased at meeting here, but she would do so as a favor to you."  
Jin crossed his arms and shifted his stance as he answered the unspoken question, "Lady Masako has had unpleasant experiences with monks and has had her faith severely tested due to family tragedy. I ask that you please do not take offence and lend her every courtesy."  
The monk bowed to Jin and replied, "I understand, Lord Sakai. We will honor her visit and provide whatever you need for your meeting. Please, let me know if you need anything further."  
With that the monk left to rejoin his brothers inside the temple and get ready for their visitors.   
Yuna walked up behind Jin and asked, "Norio is coming? And Lady Masako? What's going on, Jin?"  
Jin unfolded his arms and turned towards Yuna, his brows furrowed in thought as he answered, "We agreed to meet to get a status on the remaining Mongols left on the island. There are plans to be made and discussions to be had."  
Yuna made a noncommittal "ah" noise and ruminated on his answer. He probably didn't need her for this meeting. They were discussing important things above her station and she was just a peasant woman. She would only be in the way. For that matter, what were her plans for her life? She said she wanted to stay with Jin, but what was her role? Was she to be his companion in avenging Tsushima? If he ever did consider it, would they even be able to marry each other? Did she even want that? And if they did, would she stay somewhere awaiting his return from scouting for Mongols? He had no lands or home to speak of. Would they just forever roam the island, vagabonds protecting people from invaders?  
She felt a headache coming on and she wished she could at least talk to Taka. He was a great listener and had been a great confidant, even when he had disagreed with her lifestyle. He had always been there to return to, her haven and port of call in the storms of her life. Who could she talk to now? She didn't want to burden Jin with her fears and ugly feelings. Maybe it was all just a dream that was out of her reach. She felt small and miserable but gave no indication of her thoughts to him.  
Yuna put a hand on her hip and asked, "As for tonight, do you know where the monks are allowing us to sleep?"  
Jin let his gaze completely focus on Yuna at that question, and she almost smiled at it.   
"They are being very gracious tonight, apparently. I asked if we could set up a tent in one of the corners or outside of the wall, and they said we could have the pagoda."  
Yuna raised her brow in surprise at that and Jin put his hand behind his head in embarrassment at the look.  
"Umm... yes.. so we have to be very, very respectful while sleeping there. It houses all their sacred texts. They of course, will be sleeping in the main temple on their own mats."  
_Well there went my plans_ , thought Yuna.  
Yuna sighed, and replied, "Yes, of course. I'll put my things away. _Respectfully_."  
She turned towards their horses figuring she might as well start, and called over her shoulder, "Did you want me to put away your packs as well?"  
She was surprised when Jin reached out to hold her wrist, stopping her from walking away, and gently pulled her to him. He rubbed his thumb over her wrist and her pulse picked up.  
"I was also thinking.. there's an onsen a little while north. Also many spots for picnics by Little Monk's Pond or waterfalls. We could enjoy some time there later today."  
Yuna blinked and dumbly responded, "Oh!"  
Jin smiled at her expression and kissed her lightly.  
"I ask that you have patience for a little bit."  
He then began helping her gather their things and settle in the space they were given. She let her brows furrow as she revisited her thoughts from earlier. Were they always to roam Tsushima with no home to call their own? She thought of the dilapidated ruins of Old Yarikawa, and thought that perhaps she could ask Lord Yarikawa for one of the houses. Ah, maybe she could ride down tomorrow while Jin was busy with his meeting. It wasn't that far from Kushi Temple actually, so that might work. No.., how would Jin feel begging for land from his family's old enemies? It would probably hurt his pride. Yuna knew he didn't have much left of his old life and his pride was one of the few things he held intact. Luckily for her and the people of Tsushima that Jin was actually very humble and empathetic to others, not like other samurai and ruling lords. She felt her eyes prick with unshed tears, _he took on so much upon himself, and always for others_.   
She was startled out of her melancholy thoughts when Jin said, "I will tell the monks that we have settled our things. I'll be right back."  
Yuna stared at the scrolls stored against the wall and idly wondered about all the knowledge and stories contained within them. Being a monk seemed very boring to Yuna, and thankless, but they were able to study, preserve knowledge and create small pockets of beauty while helping people. She almost reached out to touch a scroll, but thought better of it. She turned and sat down in the entrance, waiting for Jin to return. She watched the bamboo leaves endlessly drift and waft in the breeze across the courtyard. She watched the tall bamboo trees as they swayed against the wind, and the clouds as the slowly drifted across the sky. She heard the burble of wind over the pond water, the leaves constantly rustling in the forest outside the walls, and the birds as they sang and trilled in the trees. It had been a while since she merely sat and listened to the world. It was very peaceful and calming, but with the earlier exertion from their battles it made her want to take a nap.  
Presently she saw Jin leave the temple and walk across the courtyard towards her. She took the moment to admire his purposeful walk (the prideful walk of a warrior born), the breadth of his chest and shoulders, the cords of his exposed arms, his gaze as he looked at her, and the stray strands of hair being blown by the breeze. She felt she could look at him forever and never get tired.   
She perked up when she saw he was two wrapped containers over to where she sat.  
"Aaa? And what do you have?"  
Jin smiled and presented a wrapped container to her, waiting for her to take it, before he sat down with his own.   
"Open it, Yuna."  
Yuna undid the tied cloth and saw a bento with rice, vegetables, and fish.  
"Aaa, it looks delicious, Jin! Thank you!"  
Jin withdrew two cups from his pockets, putting one in front of her, then himself, then grabbed the waterskin to pour water for them both.  
"Ah, sorry, no tea right now. Can't have a fire here."  
"That's fine, thank you so much."  
Yuna wondered if it was weird for Jin to serve her like this, since he grew up a lord and she was just a lowly peasant. She wondered if he even thought about that stuff, or if he just took his memories of his old life and folded them away like old clothes no longer worn. She was pulled back from her thoughts as Jin engaged her with conversation as the both ate and enjoyed each other's company.   
When they were done a little while later, Yuna gathered them up and wrapped it back in the cloth holders for washing later. She then leaned back against the pagoda wall and stretched out her legs and arms. Jin leaned against the wall as well, content if not happy. They quietly talked some more about inconsequential things, favorite foods, favorite sights, what they thought about Kushi Temple, etc., while also understanding that there were some subjects they were both too new to, that could not be touched yet. The feeling that they could eventually talk about it in the near future underlied it all, but right now it was like a bruise they did not want to touch.  
"So, Yuna. Would you like to ride out with me?"  
Yuna turned from gazing at the temple and faced Jin with a smile.  
"Of course!"  
Jin got up and reached out to help her up as well.  
"Take whatever you need for later. I figure while we're there we can at least take a bath while we're there."  
Yuna made a noise of agreement and went inside with Jin to grab a few things. Once done, they both walked outside and down the courtyard towards the horses.  
Jin untied Kaze, led him away from the post for a moment, then fluidly mounted in one breath and held out his hand to Yuna.  
"We won't need two horses, we can just take Kaze."  
Kaze, recognizing his name, chose that moment to whicker and flick his tail, awaiting Jin's command.  
"As you wish."  
Yuna reached up and was pulled up into Jin's lap. She wiggled suggestively against Jin and he had to put his hand on her thigh to get her to stop.   
He then leaned forward to half laughingly whisper in her ear, "Can you at least wait until we are out of sight of the monks?"  
Yuna sighed dramatically and answered in a long suffering, "Yessss...." as if he took away her favorite toy.  
Jin kissed her neck gently and moved the horse around to face the northern gate of the temple grounds. They nodded (respectfully) at the monks as they passed, with Jin telling the head monk that they would return this afternoon. The monk bowed his head and continued sweeping as they continued on past him.   
They passed under and through the old temple gate and sedately rode up the bamboo covered tunnel path, later coming up to a lone golden beech tree among the bamboo. Butterflies of various hues flittered around the tree, as a gap in the bamboo forest let light shine down upon its leaves. Jin paused near a stone lantern in front of the tree, peering at a stone structure placed at the root of the tree. Yuna glanced down as well and saw a swish of tail as something huddled back in the shadow of the stone den.  
Jin inclined his head at the den and its occupant then motioned for Kaze to walk forward again.  
When they came out from the bamboo tunnel and saw the Kushi grasslands before them again, Jin paused again as he gazed out for enemies. Yuna looked as well, gazing up at the sky for any Mongol hawks. However it was hard to see very far over the grass as the path actually ended with a humongous hill opposite of the road.   
Jin gently guided Kaze to turn right on the road and they followed it for quite a while, until they came upon the old stone bridge that crossed the river and led to Koshimizu Farmstead. Yet Jin did not turn and kept following the road past the bridge. Soon they passed next to the gradual climbing cliffs of Old Toyotama Hills on the left and through a small forest grove, which gave a brief respite from the sun overhead. But then it opened out again and she could see clear over the beautiful blue lake towards the farmstead across the lake. Zipping dots of bright crimson dragonflies dotted the lake among the falling bamboo leaves.   
Still they climbed higher up the hill path, however when they came to the next crossroads there were three ronin crossing the stone bridge to the right. Jin sighed deeply and rotated his neck to get the kinks out. Mentally preparing to challenge them, Yuna supposed.   
As Jin quietly dismounted, Yuna also quietly unfastened her bow from the back of the horse. She then quickly nocked an arrow and let it fly in the back of the closest ronin. Apparently the two ronin in front of their friend didn't hear him fall behind them.  
Jin looked up at her with an eyebrow cocked in surprise.  
"What? My hand slipped."  
Jin's lips quirked in an almost smile then became serious as he strode towards the bridge and shouted, "Come and fight me, if you dare!"  
Yuna leaned forward on the pommel and waited to see how this would play out.  
Both ronin jerked in surprise and whipped their swords out as they turned back to face Jin. Then they both did a doubletake at their friend lying facedown on the stone. The more leaderly ronin gripped his sword tighter and stalked forward, his remaining friend followed suit.   
Jin merely waited for them, his hand at the ready over his own sword.  
After a moment of psyching himself up, the leader rushed Jin, however it was far too late. Jin cut him down with a upward cut that could cut through the strongest bamboo, then on a downward swing cut down the remaining ronin who had the genius idea to try his luck as well.  
"Aaa.. I suppose we should move the bodies away from the bridge and water. Don't want to contaminate the water."  
Jin flicked the blood from his sword, then deftly put away his sword in one swift motion. He then rotated his shoulders for a moment before anwering.  
"Yes. Help me with this one and we'll get the others."  
Yuna quickly dismounted and walked over to Jin, immediately picking up the feet of one of the ronin. Both of them dragged the body over to some bamboo by the side of the road, then quickly tossed the other two over to the spot as well.   
Yuna stretched and rubbed her back, then walked back to Kaze with Jin. She tied up her bow again, while Jin quickly mounted. He then reached down to pull up Yuna as well.  
Jin leaned forward and spoke in a low voice, "Let's try this again, shall we?"  
Yuna smiled and let Jin encase her in his arms as he took up the reins again and walked Kaze over the stone bridge. He then turned up the left path going up the hill again, however at the second tier of cliffs he veered from the path and turned left past some bamboo groves. He had brought them to one of the waterfall pools of Benkei Falls.  
"We're here."  
Jin dismounted then helped her down as well. Yuna took a moment to walk towards the cliff's edge and gaze out across Kushi. She could see Kushi Temple off towards the right, rising above the bamboo forests and grasslands. While towards the left she could see the pagoda tower from Yarikawa. And below, in between the two landmarks, lay Koshimizu, a serene village beneath the cliffs. Birds flew and dipped across the sky and horizon, while below and nearer to trees and water, butterflies and dragonflies zipped and darted. It had been worth it just for the view.  
She heard Jin come up behind her and turned to him smiling, "It's beautiful, isn't it."  
Jin, never looking away from her smiling face, replied, "Yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have plans for Jin's plans ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> edit: you can read the NSFW sidestory here - [Ch2: A Little Bit Closer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25910995/chapters/63579049)


	10. Never Enough Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after NSFW chapter "A Little Bit Closer"
> 
> Jin and Yuna talk a bit and air out some feelings, Jin later surprises Yuna

After making love by the grotto, they lay there on the blanket for a time content and spent, waiting for their breathing to even out. Yuna, facing him within his embrace, let her forehead touch his chest as she inhaled his scent. She wished she could lay like this forever, cherished and safe, away from war and fear. She felt like a damn had broke within her heart the past few days, and there was an ocean of love she felt for Jin waiting to rush in and fill all the cracks in her soul. What she felt for him was beyond words, he was the air she breathed, the beating of her heart. If she closed her eyes she would always be able to find him, always sense him.   
Yuna snuggled closer despite their sweaty afterglow and rested her head against his chest, needing to be as close as possible to him. She felt his chest rise and fall with each breath, while his heartbeat was a steady drum beneath her ear. She closed her eyes for a moment as he gently moved her hair away from her face and felt him stroke her cheek. She felt like this is where she truly belonged and nowhere else. She also felt calmer than she had earlier, when all those thoughts had been racing around her head. Sometimes she felt she was her own worst enemy. Jin was here, and he loved her. That was something she never dreamed to ask for or expect to receive. It was heaven, it was overwhelming, it was home after a storm at sea. If she dwelled on it too much she would become frightened at how easily it could all go wrong, how easily it could be taken away. Yuna buried her face against his chest, trying to chase away her dark thoughts and fears.   
She felt his hand stroke her hair, and his voice sounding deeper (and comforting) as she lay against his chest, when he asked in a gentle voice, "And now will you tell me what has you so worried and frightened, Yuna?"  
She lifted her head in surprise and sent a questioning look up at his own gaze.  
"You think I did not notice at Kushi Temple earlier today? If there is anything I can help with, anyway I can ease your burden, just tell me. I want to know all your joys and sorrows, Yuna. Let me in here."  
He teasingly tapped her forehead as he finished speaking, and she absently rubbed at it while processing that he knew she was feeling anxious and lost. Yuna laid her head back down upon his chest, unable to face him in that moment.  
"Jin, you have enough to worry about. You don't need to worry about my petty worries."  
She looked back up at him with worry for him reflected back. Jin hardly ever talked about his own personal thoughts or fears.  
"I'd rather talk about you. How are you holding up?"  
Yuna reached over to caress his cheek in comfort and slowly rubbed her thumb against his skin. Jin didn't respond for a moment and merely stroked her hair.   
When he did speak, it was slow and haltingly, as if he didn't even know where to start or if he wanted to tell her. A feeling she knew very well. He started out small, as if trying it out for size and seeing how voicing it aloud felt.  
"I have many fears. Some I can try to control, some I can overcome, some I try to plan against, and some I can do nothing against except know that I am afraid."  
He kissed her forehead, and continued, his voice low and rumbly against her ear.  
"I'm afraid for my uncle. I left him alive, against all samurai teachings of honor and duty, but how is his health? Will he survive? If so, what plans do I need to make against his retaliation, if any?"  
He leaned his head down on top of hers and added in a broken voice, "I cannot kill him if there is any way I can avoid it, and I'm afraid there will come a day where circumstances will force my hand again."  
Yuna kissed his jaw and hugged him close. She knew the pain of losing the only family you had left and being left behind. At least she knew that Taka had loved and supported her through it all, even when he disagreed with her.  
"Jin, I know he loves you. I am sorry, truly."  
His head still on hers, he whispered, "I know. And yet, I would not change anything. What happened needed to be done. The old ways were not working and our people were suffering."  
Kissing the top of her head, he added, "And I would never have been able to meet you. I would have died on that beach. I owe you my life, many times over."  
She titled her head up and gently put her fingers over his lips.  
"Please, Jin. You have also repaid me many times over."  
She lay her head down against his chest again, thinking of that awful slaver's camp. He had done that **_for her_** , because she had asked it of him. And he had done it, with fierce retribution and no thought of Tsushima or his other tasks he had yet to finish, but only because she was crying and standing there asking him to give her justice.  
Jin, sensing her thoughts, reminded her, "I did that gladly for you, Yuna. It was no hardship. If it is within my power, I would grant you whatever you wished, whatever you asked. I would have burned it to the ground if you had let me."  
He tenderly rubbed her back with his other hand, adding "You have only to let me know what troubles you, my Yuna."  
"But what can I do for you, Jin? I fear that you give of yourself too much. Please let me help you too. Whatever you need, I can help."  
He laughed softly at her answer, "Still so stubborn, you refuse to let me know what was bothering you, eh Yuna?"  
She raised her voice, " _ **I'm** stubborn??_"  
He laughed again, and she felt it vibrate through her entire body. She smiled and kissed his chest as he laughed. She wanted many more days of this.  
"Yes, yes, we're both very stubborn. Ah, I'll tell you one other fear, but then you have to tell me yours."  
He leaned back on the blanket, thinking of what he could share, his eyes darting around the grotto as he thought. "Some of my fears are why we're meeting with Norio and Lady Masako. I don't want to say too much and spoil things, but I would like you there as well, Yuna."  
Yuna jerked in surprise and gaped at him. "Me??"  
Jin leaned up on his elbows and tilted his head, "Why wouldn't I ask you?"  
Her eyes widened in surprise and she let her forehead thunk against his chest. _Crafty, sneaky samurai! I bet he knew the whole time and just wanted me to voice my concerns to him!_  
"Yuna? What's wrong?"  
"What's wrong? You ask me why you wouldn't ask me to an important meeting? Jin! I'm just a peasant woman, I'm no noble! I'm nobody!"  
Jin's voice became stern, "You are not nobody. You're important to me and the bravest, most cunning woman I know. You have been over the island fighting just as much as I have. Why wouldn't we seek your advice as well?"  
"You're not listening. Norio and Lady Masako are important people, as are you. People like Lady Masako would never speak to me unless it was to ask for me to pour tea for her."  
"Is this what you were worried about earlier?"  
"Arrghhh! Again you're not listening!"  
He laughed again, "Again, you are avoiding answering me."  
Yuna drummed her fingers on his chest in ire. " _You're not listening!_ "  
"I am. I always listen to you, Yuna. But your worries are unfounded. Lady Masako is a very kind person, she will not treat you with disrespect."  
Yuna stared at him in disbelief. "This is the same woman who tracked down her family's killers, barely sleeping or eating for weeks, until she slit their throats in vengeance? _She's kind?_ "  
Jin laughed at her expression and looked sheepish, "Well, before all that, yes, she was known as being very kind and always thinking of others. She always tried her best to help."  
He lay back down for a moment, staring at the clouds, "She helped me after my father's death. Both Lord Adachi and she were very supportive of me and my lands. Sometimes, my uncle was busy or called away to the mainland to meet with the Shogun. Both Clan Adachi and Yuriko helped ease the loneliness I felt. Which is why I wanted to help her as much as possible when she sought her vengeance."  
He rubbed his cheek on her hair, adding, "It not only broke my heart to learn what happened to Clan Adachi, but to see Lady Masako brought so low. She loved her family. To think that such hatred would bloom in her own sister, poisoning her to murder her sister's entire family in jealousy. I.. I don't know if I would have spared my hand against such a treachery. To willfully and with ugly joy kill your only family?"  
Yuna absently traced patterns on his skin as she replied, "I do not know if I would have stayed my hand as well. Having lost Taka.. it hurt so much, I would have done anything to stop the pain. I can understand that feeling from her."  
She sighed, and added, "If you say she is kind, I will talk with her if she asks it. I will attend the meeting. For you."  
Jin sighed in relief, "That's my girl."  
Yuna had only a moment to reflect on their conversation, when Jin decided it was time to get up. She moved to let him up, and he in turn helped her stand, following him as he turned back towards the grotto pool.  
"We have lain here long enough. It's time for our bath. We have a little time left, before we need to go back."  
They both sat on small mats by the river bank as they scrubbed and cleaned themselves. This took a bit longer than usual because they were too busy getting distracted with each other, reaching towards the other to touch or help each other scrub. Finally finished, they both walked into the water to soak and relax. Jin was worried for a moment that Yuna wasn't able to swim, however she quickly showed that she was an able and agile swimmer. He remembered the waterway into Yarikawa, but he had been so focused on getting past the Mongols he just remembered quickly swimming through the shallow water to be less visible before sneaking through the waterfall passage.  
Yuna swum away from him for a bit, dunking under the water for a bit before coming up gasping for air after a few minutes. She began to swim towards the small waterfall in the grotto.  
As she swam, she called out over her shoulder, "Aah, I wish we had more time, Jin."  
He began to swim towards her, answering honestly, "I don't think we will ever have enough time together, Yuna. I would be an old, old, man and still say it was not enough time."  
Yuna stopped swimming at that comment and quickly whipped around to face him, her surprise at his words of devotion written all over her face. She looked like she was going to cry.  
Jin swam a bit closer then tugged her close, holding her in his arms.   
"It's ok, Yuna. I know you're still getting used to me being with you. I know this is all so new for the both of us, but.. I will not hide how I feel. As long as you accept me, and stay with me, it would make me most happy."  
Yuna turned in his arms, standing on tip toes in the water, and hugged him close.  
"I'm sorry, Jin, if my surprise hurts you in any way. I never, **_never_** , expected to be so happy or to hear such words, from _anyone_. It may surprise me for a while, to hear it stated out loud with sincerity, but never doubt I don't love you as well. I love you so much, it scares me sometimes. Life.. had been hard for both me and my brother, and I know you don't know all the details of my life yet, but it's been so new and freeing to be with you, Jin."  
She turned her head to look at his face, "I have been beaten, starved, screamed at, called vile names, and worse was done to me. I survived for both myself and my brother. I never had any other soft landing than my brother, he was my anchor in all the raging storms. Even if I lied, even if I hid all my abuse, even if I kept the truth from him, even if i stole so we could survive another day - he loved me regardless. _I did it all for him_. Now I have you, and I'm so afraid, but I love you, Sakai Jin. Please, never doubt that."  
Yuna had not even realized she was crying, until he reached over to wipe the tears away from her face.   
"You break my heart, Yuna. You are braver than you could ever know, and I'm sorry you have suffered, enduring such hardships. If I had the power, I would turn back time to undo those wrongs, I would do anything to ease your heart. I cannot make any promises on what tomorrow may bring, but I'm here now, Yuna. As long as I draw breath, I will always be here for you."  
He stared at her with such love in his eyes for her, adding words he had uttered previously, "You have but to ask, and I will place the stars at your feet. My life is yours, Yuna."  
Tears still falling, she leaned over on tip toes and kissed him, pouring all her heart into it. He opened for her and she tasted everything as he kissed her back, love, fierce devotion, fear, desperation, possession, passion, everything. They were each the other half they had been desperately searching for.   
Yuna broke the kiss and nibbled on his lip, then leaned forward and whispered in a broken voice, "Don't you dare leave me, Sakai Jin. You would break my heart to pieces and there would be no coming back from it."  
Jin lifted her up in his arms, holding her up in the water and closer to himself while he wiped the wet strands of hair from her face. He tenderly wiped against her cheek with his thumb, as if to wipe away all traces of her tears.   
She gazed back at him equally full of love and longing, and said with a bit of her old self, "I'm normally not such a crybaby. Sometimes I don't recognize myself when I'm with you and let all my guard down."  
She scrunched up her nose to make light of it all, but he merely kissed her nose.  
"You are the bravest person I know, Yuna of Yarikawa. I mean that, truly. I want all your joys and sorrows, all of you. Even the darkest, ugliest parts you hide away. I could do no less, after you did the same for me."  
"But that was no trouble, Jin! You do so much, how could I not want to help you? How could I not want to be there for you? Would you have wanted me to leave you alone after all your battles? You do so much for others, for me! I would never turn away from you!"  
She leaned forward and hugged him again, her voice full of unshed tears, "Was I supposed to walk away from you when you were hurting? After your duel with your uncle? I couldn't... I just couldn't... it's unthinkable.."  
Jin slowly pulled her back so he could look at her face, and answered, "And it is no trouble for me, Yuna. I will take on any burden, I would defend you with my life, I would do anything to keep you safe and happy. You have done this for me, and I know you would continue to do so until death finally takes us. You are my heart, why would I not want to protect it?"  
Jin leaned forward to kiss her again, but this time it was a slow kiss of unspoken promises.  
After a while, Jin broke and pulled back to look at her again, throwing her words back, "Don't you dare leave me, Yuna of Yarikawa. You would break my heart to pieces and there would be no coming back from it."  
Yuna refused to cry anymore this day, and instead haughtily lifted her chin, replying, "As if you could get rid of me. You're stuck with me now, Sakai Jin!"  
"And I am most grateful. Always, eternally. I love you, Yuna."  
Yuna kissed him on the cheek, "And I love you, Jin."  
She surprised him though, by launching backwards from his arms with a big splash and quickly dunking under the water. His brows furrowed when she didn't immediately come back up.  
"Yuna?"  
She came up behind him in a surprise splash attack, splashing water against his back. He twisted around with the oddest look on his face, which made her laugh and splash him again. She stopped when she saw he was just standing there.  
"Jin? What's wrong?"  
He swam over to her with his brows still furrowed in thought. She reached over and smoothed her fingers over the lines, and his face relaxed as he realized he was tense.   
"Nothing. It's just.. I realized, I had seen other children playing in the rivers or lakes, but I had never been allowed to join them. That was the first time someone had splashed me in play."  
"Poor Jin, no one to play with in the water." She kissed his cheek and added in a playful voice, "But now you have me."  
Jin tilted his head slightly and got a crafty look in his eye, replying in a slow voice, "I do..."  
Yuna bit her lip and coyly asked, "Ahh? And what shall you do, now that you have me?"  
In a mock serious voice, "Oh, a great, many, many things. But first, I want to do something I've always wanted to do."  
In a breathy voice, she asked him, "Oh? And what is that?"  
With a small grin, he replied, "This."  
He picked her up with both arms, cradling her as he stood up in the water, and Yuna smiled up at him... right before he dropped her in the water and dunked her.  
He swam away, laughing uproariously as she came up sputtering, her hair all bedraggled and wet across her face.   
Then laughed louder as she roared, "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, SAKAI JIN! THE YARIKAWA CLAN ALWAYS GETS VENGEANCE!"  
She swiped her hair from her face then swung her arms in a great arc towards Jin, sending a wave of splashing water in his laughing face. She heard him sputter as he accidentally swallowed some water. For good measure she did it again, then leaned back and began kicking water at him.  
He cheated however and grabbed her ankle, dragging her through the water back towards him.  
"Jin!"  
He hauled her up against his chest, kissed her, then said teasingly, "Yuna."  
"Don't you dare dunk me again, Sakai Jin! I will pull the feet out from under you and use all the tricks I used to use on Taka! We play dirty!"  
He chuckled, and she felt the rumble of his laugh reverberate against her, calm her ire, while the friction made her think of other things.  
"I know that look, Yuna. But we need to start drying off so we can get back."  
" _Fine....._ "  
He picked her up in his arms again and she shot him a dirty look of promised retribution.  
He laughed at her look, and said, "I'm not going to drop you! I promise."  
He strode forward through the water when it got shallower, and adjusting her for her weight within his arms, holding her close.   
"I like holding you."  
Yuna relaxed and let him hold her. She could almost get used to being pampered and cherished. Little by little, day by day, he consumed her heart and soul. She sighed in contentment.


	11. Things Left Unsaid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin and Yuna finish up their outing, then make their way back to the temple where Norio awaits

Yuna and Jin left the water and began drying off, however it was hampered a bit by each wanting to dry the other off too. Jin used the excuse to take his time slowly drying her hair and face, while Yuna dried off his chest (and fought temptation very, **_very_** hard - she felt she deserved a medal or reward for staying above the waist). Finally acknowledging that they had to hurry up, Yuna sighed and gently pushed hand away while she stepped back to finish drying. Jin looked like she took his sword away from him.  
"Aaaa!! Don't give ME that look, Sakai Jin! _YOU'RE_ the one who made plans! _You're_ the one who said we were on a schedule!"  
Jin scowled and in a tone of deep resentment for their circumstances, replied, "Ah, don't rub it in."  
He made a swiping motion at the conversation as if to wave it away in disgust, then turned to finish drying and get dressed. She bit her lip and tried very hard not to laugh at his disgruntlement. She watched him get dressed in a very precise, methodical fashion, borne from years of practice, but she also sensed his underlying irritation as he perhaps tugged on a tie a bit too hard here and there.   
Yuna quickly turned away so he wouldn't see her smile over his dejection and finished getting dressed as well. After she finished dressing, she bent to grab her hair tie and began finger drying her hair, trying to comb it quickly before tying it back. However, she felt Jin come up behind her and take the tie from her hands. She felt him slowly thread his calloused fingers through her thick hair, savoring the texture and being able to touch her like this.  
"Jin?"  
"I like your hair. I count myself fortunate that I finally get to touch it."  
Jin stepped closer and she could feel the heat from his body as he reached over to hold her close, whispering in her ear, "I count myself very fortunate indeed. Being with you, being able to touch you.. watching the expressions of your face, listening to the cadence of your voice. I look forward to waking next to you for the rest of my life, Yuna."  
Yuna leaned back into his embrace and replied, "You have to leave some of those romantic lines for me, you know. You keep using them all and leave none for me."  
Jin huffed out a laugh, "See? I'm so lucky."  
Yuna patted his hand and moved within his arms, indicating for him to let go. Jin teasingly responded by hugging her tighter, pulling her back against his body.  
"Aaa Jin! Let me go, I have to put my hair up and finish putting things away!"  
She could feel him smiling against her ear, "I could put your hair up."  
Yuna would not be swayed, however, and patted at his arm again. "Jin, maybe another time when I'm not meeting Norio."  
"Are you saying I couldn't do it? Also it's just Norio, there's no need for any fuss."  
"Norio is now the Abbot of the temples! And I don't want to meet him with some droopy half tied hair or samurai's knot!"  
Jin laughed and she could feel the deep rumble of it against her back, which made her sigh in contentment. She wished all her days would be like this, just the two of them enjoying each other's company and hearts full of joy.  
She turned in his arms and captured his laugh with a kiss, making him exhale in surprise but very quickly responded back. Again the world receded until it was just her and Jin in that moment, where nothing else existed or mattered.   
She broke the kiss but still trailed small kisses down his stubbled jaw, always wishing for more time and knowing Jin was right, there would never be enough time. Not ever. Yuna drew back and clutched her hands over her heart, her gaze was filled with all the love she felt in her heart. It felt like she had swallowed the sun, the warmth of it all comforting but also consuming and burning. She didn't have the words, but she had to try.  
"You fill my heart, Jin. It sounds silly, but I didn't know how cold and lonely life was before I found you." She fiddled with her kimono shirt, adding, "Being with you like this, is more than I could have ever asked for. I love you, Jin."  
Still there were so many more words she wanted to say, but the words were stuck in her throat. They were silly and trite, she didn't feel right saying them. What she felt was much bigger than words. It was silly.   
She steeled herself however and forced herself to say, "It's time to finish packing. Norio will be waiting for you."  
But she wanted to say those other silly and trite words that were still stuck in her heart. She licked her lips but still the words wouldn't come. Perhaps just saying "I love you" would be enough for now. She was still relearning how to be vulnerable with Jin, after all.  
She smiled and finished putting her hair up, tied on her headband, then turned towards her things next to the blanket. Yuna quickly tied up her leggings and shoes, then began putting on her belts, weapons, and pouches. She turned and helped Jin fold up the blanket, then gathered up the remaining items to put away in the saddlebags while Jin dawdled by the water. Yuna felt uncertainty rise again, and rested her head against Kaze while absently petting his coat. _What even was her life?_ She couldn't see the thread leading her forward and the future was a foggy landscape of doubt.  
Jin distracted her from her wayward thoughts as he called over to her, "Ready to go?"  
Yuna peeked over Kaze's back and answered, "Yes, whenever you're ready!"  
Jin strode over to the other side of Kaze, doublechecked the stirrups, saddlery, and secured the last saddlebag closed. He gave one last pat to Kaze before mounting up and offering his hand to Yuna, assisting her up as well. Once she was situated he clicked at Kaze and turned the horse back across the glade and towards the road.   
Yuna leaned back and laid her hand upon his arm, "Thank you again, Jin. I really appreciated this, and you."  
Jin leaned forward and answered in her ear, "You're most welcome. And I look forward to doing it again."  
Yuna shivered at the sensation of his breath on her ear, and the thoughts he conjured. Jin chuckled at her reaction and turned Kaze onto the road. However, Yuna found herself gripping the saddle as Jin kicked Kaze into a full gallop. She gripped the saddle white knuckled as Jin raced over the old stone bridge across the falls then down the bamboo covered pathways down the Old Toyotama Hills. It was heart racing and dangerous for an inexperienced rider, as any misstep could have you falling off your horse or your horse breaking its legs. _Foolish man._   
On they raced, with the afternoon sun shining golden through the canopy and directly in their faces. It was beautiful in its golden beauty, but blinding. She trusted Jin knew the way, but it was the height of foolishness to be racing in such conditions on these paths. She clutched the saddle tighter as the wind seemed to carry them forward. Kaze was named aptly it seemed. Soon enough they passed through the winding bamboo paths of the hills and saw they were nearing, then passing the old stone bridge to Koshimizu Farmstead, entering the Kushi grasslands. She briefly closed her eyes and tilted her towards the warm afternoon sun, feeling the wind and sun upon her face. It was a perfect moment, and it was even better because she was within Jin's arms as they raced over the grasslands. She opened her eyes though in alarm when she felt Kaze shift and lean right.  
Kaze was still running as fast as the wind, but Jin was leaning down to feel the grass as they flew through the endless grasslands.  
He shouted over the din of Kaze's hooves and heavy breathing, "Yuna, reach out your hand!"  
Yuna held on for dear life with her left hand, then slowly reached down with Jin's hand. The grass whipped against her palm but the sensation was not unpleasurable, it was as if they were the wind themselves. It was like touching freedom from earthly woes, and were now free to fly across the earth. Now she knew why Jin did this occasionally.   
Jin curled his hand against hers for a moment, savoring the moment with her. His hand felt warm against hers, and she looked forward to many more days and moments like this. Then carefully, with the utmost skill, pulled both their arms up and guided Kaze back to normal upright position as they continued their gallop across the grass. Kaze's hooves thundered in a steady gallop and he seemed to actually enjoy being able to go all out, fast as his namesake.   
But Jin didn't stop at the forest border, he kept the fast pace as he had Kaze run through the bamboo pathways of the forest that surrounded Kushi Temple. He guided Kaze this way and that, around bamboo clusters and zigzagging through the various tunnels through the forest.  
"Jin!"  
Jin laughed, then leaned in close so she could hear, "Trust me. I know where we're going. I told you I wanted to race with you through the forest earlier."  
"You're being foolish!"  
Jin huffed out a laugh again and replied, "I've been foolish since you met me. You're surprised now?"  
Yuna growled under her breath in response, not dignifying his words.  
Jin urged Kaze on through the forest, everything was a blur of golden sunshine through the green boughs as they raced through, while falling bamboo leaves seemed to flutter in their wake. Yuna had to close her eyes quite a few times while letting out an undignified "eep!" here and there. When suddenly she really did let out a loud scream as the temple wall was suddenly before them.  
"JIN!"  
Jin merely guided Kaze left and ran along the perimeter wall, banking a sharp right when they came to a corner, then then expertly swinging wide to have Kaze gallop up the steps and stop dramatically in the courtyard.  
Yuna turned around to look him in the face as she shouted, "WE COULD HAVE DIED OR RAN OVER SOMEONE!"  
Jin pulled her close and apologized, feeling her fast beating heart beneath his hand, "I'm sorry for scaring you, Yuna."  
She turned back around and leaned into his embrace, her shoulders slumped in defeat or despair (she wasn't sure), muttering to herself about idiot samurai showing off and how they could have died fifty times over.  
Jin swung down off of Kaze and held his arms open for Yuna, who half hopped down into his arms while still muttering. She let herself be held for a few moments while her heartbeat slowed back to normal.  
"All better?"  
Yuna gave a muffled answer while still burying her face in his chest, "No thanks to you!"  
Jin just held her closer and kissed her hair, then let her go when she motioned that she wanted to be let go.   
"Here now, I'll take care of Kaze while you rest."  
Yuna scowled back and replied, "I can help too!"   
She thought it was sweet that Jin wanted to spoil her so much, but she wasn't helpless or lazy.  
Jin merely smiled an answered, "As you wish. Two people will help get it done faster."  
When they were done taking care of Kaze they walked back towards the center of the courtyard and saw Norio had arrived from the northern gate. Norio saw them walking towards him and inclined his head in greeting as he listened to the head monk of Kushi Temple.   
Jin remarked, "It will be good to talk to Norio again. He's a good man."  
Yuna, walking beside him, replied, "I wasn't able to speak to him much while at Lord Shimura's camp, I had.. other things on my mind. I look forward to getting to know him better."  
Norio bowed to the head monk as their conversation ended and walked over to them both, unable to wait. Jin and Norio bowed, then Norio bowed to Yuna in greeting.  
"Norio! It is good to see you, friend! I hope you're doing well. I hope you remember Yuna."  
"I'm doing well. Of course I remember Yuna. It is good to see you under better circumstances. Have you eaten?"  
Yuna bowed back to Norio, replying, "We ate earlier this morning. How was your trip from Cedar Temple? I hope it was peaceful."  
Norio adjusted his sash and shifted his posture, "Well, it wasn't completely uneventful. There were a few scraggly bandits that tried to rob us. I was able to talk two of them into a peaceful resolution by offering food, the other one would not be swayed and had to be dealt with. The two that remained, once fed, were very reasonable, just desperate and starving, forced into unsavory companionship and thievery. I offered them work at Cedar Temple and we'll go from there."  
He scratched at his beard, adding, "All we can do is try to help each other pull through this mess."  
Norio then sighed, and waved his hands as if to erase his gloomy thoughts, and motioned them to follow him back to the temple.   
"I apologize, I find myself quite famished from my journey. I hope you'll join me for lunch, or at least, we can talk while I eat something."  
Norio stepped through the doorway and motioned for them to sit on the mats before he himself sat. He then made a little wave at one of the monks to let him know that they were ready for lunch. He thanked them sincerely and profusely as they brought out hot tea while they waited.  
They all sipped their tea, quiet for a few minutes, before Norio asked, "And how was your journey, Jin? Yuna? You seem much better than the last time I saw you."  
Jin sipped his tea, then answered, "Ours was surprisingly eventful. Yuna took care of some bandits, then we had to fight and evade two Mongol patrols, and then later today we faced some wandering ronin. Yuna's skills with a bow are very impressive, able to shoot hawks down from the sky."  
Jin put his tea down, then teasingly made pantomime motions of shooting a bow impressively.  
Yuna made a _hmmphh_ noise, drank her tea, and in a mildly sarcastic voice replied, "Thank you, o Lord Sakai, for your great praise, even though you initially doubted me at the outset."  
Jin held his hand over his heart, "You wound me, Yuna. Have I not apologized for doubting you? I will never doubt again."  
Norio laughed at their banter, "Now this is a wonderful turn of events! It was worth traveling down here to Kushi to see the both of you so relaxed and happy."  
He turned to Yuna and saluted her with his cup, "You have my thanks, Lady Yuna of Yarikawa. You are always welcome at the temples of Tsushima."  
Yuna smiled, replying, "Oh stop, I could say the same of you. Jin very much appreciates your friendship, Norio. If I may say so, you look much better than our initial meeting as well. I'm happy to see you faring so well."  
Jin smiled at them both, and asked Norio, "And how is Cedar Temple? How is life as an Abbot now?"  
Norio paused before answering as their food was placed before them by the monks.  
"Ah thank you, thank you so much! Much appreciated, friends, thank you!"  
Norio motioned for them to grab a bowl as well and immediately tucked into his own.   
Jin put some rice and vegetables in a bowl and asked, "Did you want some of this, Yuna?"  
"Yes, please, thank you! I think I'll try some of their soup as well. It smells delicious."  
Norio nodded, finished his bite, and replied, "Men left to their own devices either learn to cook or starve. And the monks of Kushi really like eating well. We're lucky."  
He took another bite and added, "Of course, the monks of Kushi are also very generous and kind. They've been handing out supplies to nearby villages and sheltering all refugees who pass through. Apart from our meeting tomorrow, I'm also going over their records and supplies to see what Cedar Temple can assist with."  
Norio then sipped his tea and directed a question to Jin, "Is Lady Masako to arrive later this evening or tomorrow morning?"  
"Ah, she will be here tomorrow morning, I'm told."  
Norio nodded, "Good. I await our meeting then, and will do whatever I can to assist if it's within my power."  
Yuna was quiet while she ate, but she wondered what the meeting tomorrow would bring.   
The three of them talked for quite a while, relaxed in each other's company. Yuna found she liked Norio quite a bit and looked forward to deepening their friendship. He might not have known Jin for very long, but they had become fast friends and it made her happy. She felt that Taka would have liked him immensely. They then played Go for a bit, each learning how the other used strategies and played the game. It was tremendous fun. Norio and Jin took their game VERY seriously and it lasted quite a bit, however, when Yuna played Jin she used distractions and misdirection to cheat and get Jin to laugh. She wished in that moment that Taka was there. She and him used to have so much fun, just the two of them. Taka didn't cheat as much, but he was a very good Go player, good at reading his opponents.   
When they were done, they went back outside to sit under the overhang and watch the bamboo trees sway under the stars, while the monks solemnly lit the lanterns within the temple and cleaned up.  
Yuna leaned back against the temple wall, gazing unseeing at the pagoda across the courtyard with its lanterns lit against the surrounding darkness. She felt happy and content, and wished all her future days could be like this.  
"Thank you, again, Norio. This evening has been very enjoyable. I hope we're able to meet like this again someday soon."  
Norio looked over at Yuna and smiled, replying, "Yes, I hope so too. Although if we wind up being opponents in Go, you will find I'm not so easily distracted as a certain samurai. I look forward to that match."  
Yuna laughed, "I look forward to it as well. You will find that I can be a fierce opponent without distractions as well."  
Jin was quiet, but he had a quiet, peaceful smile on his face.   
"I thank you as well, Norio. For this night, and for your assistance tomorrow."  
Norio took that as his cue to end the evening, stood up, and bowed to Jin again.   
"It's no trouble, my friend. Have a pleasant evening."  
He inclined his head to Yuna, and turned towards the temple entrance to prepare for the evening.  
Yuna sighed, "We should probably get ready for bed as well. Tomorrow is a big day."  
Jin took her hand, rubbing his thumb over her skin. "It will go well, you'll see."  
Yuna merely closed her hand over his in answer, then scooted closer to him so she could lay her head upon his shoulder. Jin kissed her hair in kind, and they stared up at the stars together for a while.  
Yuna gave voice to the same thoughts she had earlier at the beginning of their journey to Kushi, "I wish I was an artist, so I could capture moments like these. Something beautiful to look on, and to remember the moments later."  
Jin replied half-teasing, "I shall have to get my Yuna some paper and inks."  
Yuna yawned, sleepy now, but answered in a worried tone, "Oh please don't waste money on such a trivial thing. I was just an idle thought."  
Jin gave a low chuckle, and kissed her head again, so she wasn't sure if he was serious or not.   
"Come, we really should get ready for bed."  
They both stretched and yawned, then Jin helped her up. They walked hand in hand over to the pagoda, nodding at the monks who were finishing up their nightly chores. When they opened the door to the pagoda, they found their things neatly stacked in one corner, and the back door was open with a bucket of water for washing up sitting on the back veranda. Polite, helpful, yet at the same time hinting of " _Please remember you are in the pagoda of sacred texts. PLEASE do not get water on the sacred texts._ "  
Yuna smiled and bit her lip at her wayward thoughts as she closed the front door.  
Jin seeing her expression, said, "I'm beginning to know that expression, Yuna of Yarikawa. What mischief are you thinking about."  
Yuna huffed in mock outrage, "I could not possibly guess what you think I'm guilty of, o Lord Sakai! I am merely being observant of how polite and helpful the monks are! Shame on you for insinuating otherwise!"  
Jin laughed, then bowed at her, "I beg your forgiveness for maligning your character, Yuna."  
Yuna sniffed disdainfully, then smiled and wrinkled her nose at Jin.   
They then both tiredly began washing up for the evening, too tired to even tease or be naughty, especially with the monks around. Once done, they dumped out the water and left the bucket outside, closing the back door.  
Yuna then laid out the sleeping mats, pillows and blankets, then began undressing for the night. She was suddenly exhausted and could barely keep her eyes open. She no sooner laid down on the one mat, before Jin reached over and pulled her over to him, pulling her pillow over as well.  
"You'll sleep with me. Now and always."  
Yuna sleepily made a noise of protest, but realized how warm Jin was and quickly snuggled against him. He smelled freshly washed and his own unique male scent, which smelled of home now to Yuna. Which made her even more sleepy, as she felt so safe and at ease in his arms.  
Jin stroked her hair, threading his hand through the strands of her hair again. Soon enough her breathing began to slow as she slowly succumbed to sleep, but before she slept, she managed to murmur "Sleep well, Jin. I love you."  
Jin pulled her closer, and she felt his heartbeat, steady and sure, as he replied in kind, "Sleep well, my Yuna. I love you, always."


	12. My Heart Is Missing From Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuna and Jin prepare for their meeting with Lady Masako and Norio

Yuna woke to sunlight streaming through the crack of the pagoda door and felt Jin's absence. It looked like he was already up and about his day. Still laying on her side, she yawned while stretching her arms and legs out like a cat. She then briefly snuggled back beneath the cover where it was warm and still smelled of Jin. She sleepily rubbed her face against the blanket as if to rub his scent on herself while also protesting having to get up. It reminded her of when she and Taka were children, with Taka being the sunny morning person and Yuna who hated getting up to face the day. She could still almost hear his laughing childish voice scolding her to get up " _Wake up, sleepyhead! Get up! Get up! It's a beautiful day!_ " He'd been so cute when he was so little. The cutest little boy in Tsushima! In the entire world!   
Yuna felt the sadness pierce her heart, missing him terribly, but she also smiled because she loved him so much that he would never leave her heart.  
Muttering to his memory, she replied, "Alright! Alright! I'm up! I'm awake!"  
She smiled wistfully though because she could almost hear his giggled response to her grumpiness. She sighed and forced herself to quit dwelling on it, otherwise she'd be there all morning crying and that didn't solve anything except get you a stuffy nose and bloodshot eyes for your troubles.  
She dramatically threw off the covers and sat up, then stretched again to work out any stiffness. However, she paused in the act of getting up when she noticed something by her pillow. Jin had apparently placed a small lotus blossom by her pillow while she had slept. Yuna traced the delicate petals with her fingertips and then inhaled it's light fragrance. She bit her lip, and gently put the flower on one of the shelves against the walls so she wouldn't accidentally trample it while she dressed. However, she sat there for a moment and tried not to cry over how incredibly, incredibly kind and thoughtful Jin was. She put her face in her hands and breathed in, fighting tears and her own negativity. She had no idea why he loved her so, she felt like a fraud even though she loved him back with her whole heart. Maybe she would just have to continue asking him why he loved her until they were old and decrepit. And she knew in her bones that he would patiently still answer, with his heart still full of love.  
She sighed again and hugged her knees, feeling lost and uncertain. She didn't know why she was doing this to herself, maybe she just was so used to be kicked by life she just didn't know how to handle kindness yet. She kept looking for life to slap her in the face again.   
Yuna lay her head upon her knees as she hugged them tighter. She knew everything was still new yet with their relationship, and she knew a lifetime of surviving the things she survived had scarred her, but she also knew that it was worth being patient with herself because Jin was here now. Patiently loving her and giving her time to adjust (well on most things). She was finally lucky in that regard. This handsome, wonderfully kind man loved her. Her. Yuna of Yarikawa. She closed her eyes and tried to block all the memories from ruining her morning. She would win, she's been told by Jin himself that there was no one more stubborn. (and he was right!)  
She gave up moping for now and stood up, then quickly dressed as fast as she could. She crept to the back door to see if she was going to be lucky and have some water for washing up.   
"Yessss....."  
Not only was she lucky, but some kind soul had left her some fruit, rice, and fish for breakfast. She went to sit down and eat, however she heard Jin nearby, practicing his swordplay by the sound of it. She peeked around the corner and saw that Jin had set up a bamboo training pillar to strike against. Over and over, going through the different forms and strikes against the bamboo, working on wrist work, footing, hand positioning, how he positioned his arms, even sheathing and resheathing his sword. She took her breakfast over to watch him and dangled her feet over the edge of the veranda. It helped that Jin was shirtless so as to not get his clothes all sweaty.   
She watched as Jin varied out his forms and positions, deft and deadly as he swung his sword repeatedly. She knew in his mind he was going over past battles and correcting himself. Overhand strikes with a flick of the wrist twisted to become underhand strikes, then twisted again to side to side strikes in large sweeping motions. Jin also corrected and practiced his form for overhand stabs, parries, guards, even practicing the stillness and poses for some of the new sword techniques he had recently learned. Sometimes he was very precise and methodical, other times he was a whirling dervish against his imaginary enemy.   
Yuna absently kicked her feet and again wished she and Jin were alone. She bit her lip and thought nice warm thoughts about what they could be doing after he was done. She looked up over the trees and thought wonderful thoughts about those plans.  
"I know that look, Yuna of Yarikawa."  
She was startled from her thoughts by Jin, who had stopped practicing and had walked up to her while she was daydreaming.  
She sent him an innocent, slightly offended look, and replied, "I know naught of what you speak. I was merely admiring the scenery, my lord!"  
Jin made a mock serious noise of neither agreement nor disagreement. "Hhmmm.."  
"Have you eaten yet?"  
Jin wiped his hand against the sweat dripping on his face, answering, "Yes, I ate earlier, thank you. Did you? I asked the monks to leave some for you."  
Yuna showed him her empty bowl in her hand, "Yes, I did, thank you so much."  
Jin sighed, trying to get his breathing back to normal, and walked over to her, leaning against the veranda.   
"Ah, it was no trouble. I'm glad you ate."  
Yuna reached over and gently smoothed some escaped hair strands from his face.   
"And thank you, Jin, for the flower. It's beautiful."  
Jin leaned into her caressing hand and closed his eyes, answering, "I would give anything for you to smile Yuna. I would lay the stars at your feet if I could, but for now I shall merely gift you with flowers that I happen to find."  
Yuna leaned forward and kissed his brow.   
"I shall have to find pretty flowers for you then, as well. I don't have many things to give you, but you have my heart."  
Jin opened his eyes briefly, then leaned forward to kiss her back, his own calloused hand cradling her face in turn.  
"That is more than enough for me. I shall guard it most fiercely."  
Yuna smiled into his cradling palm, and replied, "As I will guard yours."  
Jin caressed her face one last time before moving his hand back. He stretched then turned towards her again.  
"If you don't mind, we can walk down to the river together to freshen up."  
Yuna stood and grabbed her bowl. "Of course! Let me get my things and we can take whatever dishes down to be washed as well."  
Both of them grabbed their toiletries, the wash bucket, and some towels, then let one of the monks know that they were walking down to the river. They walked side by side down the winding path through the bamboo forest, talking of nothing in particular but glad to be in each other's company. It felt like they were in their own little world, cut off from all the strife and war of reality. Yuna switched to hold everything in her right hand and took Jin's hand in the other. He continued his story, but his thumb traced the skin of her hand while they walked. Yuna listened, but a small part of her was wondering what she could do for Jin in return for all his kindnesses. She needed to find out all his likes and dislikes, as much as possible.  
Soon enough they came to the end of the path and the river bank below. There was a fisherman's house nearby, but it looked like no one was home, which was just as well. Both of them set out the dishes to wash and set themselves to get it done as quickly as possible, chatting to each other while washing. They asked each other favorite dishes, colors, seasons, but then decided it might be easier to ask what things they absolutely could not stand. They each laughed at each other's choices, surprised but having a wonderful time together. Once done, they put the dishes away in a towel and began to undress. They both knew that they had to hurry so they had no time to linger. Both scrubbed and scoured themselves before rinsing in the water. Yuna felt so happy and at the same time, completely at peace, being with Jin. It was like being home with your favorite person in the whole world. The only thing that marred her happiness and cast a small shadow, is that she wished with all her heart that Taka could be here as well. (Well, maybe not here this moment, but she dearly wished her brother was here to feel the happiness she was feeling.)  
They hurriedly dressed, gathered up their things, and began walking back towards the temple path. Jin put all his items in one hand so he could guide her towards the path and place his hand at the small of her back. However once they began the ascent up, he was content to hold her hand again, rubbing his thumb over her skin again. Yuna felt the warmth of his attentions spread like a warm glow throughout her body. She felt like he was the sun and she was drinking down sunlight. He filled her up and made her feel whole. She smiled at Jin, leaned over, and quickly pecked his cheek. Jin smiled back and gripped her hand tight for a moment.  
They made their way up to the temple entrance and saw another horse was tied up with theirs. Lady Masako had arrived. Yuna was not looking forward to speaking with her, and some of the warmth left her heart. Mentally, she groaned at the upcoming chore and kept all negative thoughts from her face or body language as she didn't want to upset or worry Jin. He said he needed her there, so she would be there.   
However, it didn't mean that she couldn't dawdle a bit to delay the inevitable.   
"Here, give me your things, Jin. I'll take them back to the pagoda while you go greet Lady Masako. I'll be there in just a moment."  
"Are you sure? I can help, it would just take a moment. They might be too heavy for you."  
Yuna rolled her eyes, "Please. They're not heavy, and it's no problem. Go greet Lady Masako! It will give you time to go over pleasantries and catch up with each other."  
_Yes, that sounded like an excellent reason_. Yuna congratulated herself with that one.  
"Well, if you're sure. Thank you."   
Jin leaned over and quickly kissed her, then turned and walked over to the temple proper.   
Yuna sighed, admiring his stride, then turned towards the pagoda and quietly groaned under her breath at the upcoming ordeal. _Blehhh_ , she hated politics and drawn out discussions. She quietly entered the pagoda, put their things away in the corner, and then took the clean dishes to take to one of the monks outside. On a whim, she scooped up the flower that Jin gave her earlier that day. She wanted to hold it for a little bit and try and gain some courage. She sighed, then stepped outside and called out to one of the monks walking past.  
"Excuse me, here are your dishes back. Jin and I cleaned them for you. Thank you again, for breakfast."  
The monk bowed, replying, "Ah thank you! I shall put them away until needed again. You are most welcome. It is a small thing we can do in recompense for the many supplies you brought, as well as horses. The temple is most grateful for your kindess."  
Yuna waved away his gratitude. "It is nothing. We happened upon good luck and wanted to share it with the temple and any refugees in need. It was no problem."  
The monk smiled and said, "None the less, it is very much appreciated, my lady."  
Yuna inclined her head, then replied, "Ah I know Jin is meeting with Lady Masako and I am expected to join. Please let them know I'll be there momentarily. I'm just going to check the horses for something and will be along shortly."  
The monk inclined his head back in acknowledgement and answered, "Certainly. I shall inform both Lord Sakai and Lady Masako."  
He then walked towards the temple to put the dishes away and do as she asked, while Yuna began walking towards the horses at the gate. She felt anxious and needed a moment to calm down, so she figured she could pretend to check on the horses for a moment while she collected herself. _Ughhhh_  
Yuna idly twirled the flower within her fingers as she tried to empty her mind of her negative thoughts. Kaze whickered as he saw her approach, she quietly greeted him and scratched along his jaw. Once sufficient pets were given she moved on to her own unnamed horse, however she paused as she heard something outside the walls. She quietly stepped away from her horse and slowly walked towards the gate, noticing that the monk who normally watched the gate was not there. Something was wrong, she could feel it.   
Yuna dropped the flower in her hand, then placed her hand over her dagger handle as she slowly walked past the entrance. She looked left for a moment, but was quickly yanked towards the right by unknown hands. She quickly gathered breath to scream, however two things happened in succession - a huge, calloused hand was quickly placed over her mouth, while simultaneously, she felt something pointy against her neck.  
A deep, and above all, deadly, male voice whispered down towards her ear, "You will not make a sound and you will not scream. Otherwise, I will not only slit your throat, but we will attack the monks inside and burn the temple to the ground. Nod your head slightly to show that you understand."  
Yuna paused to weigh her options. She was pretty sure Jin could defeat the man behind her, but she wasn't sure how many of them there were and couldn't risk the monks' lives. Also she wasn't sure she could move fast enough to avoid being killed. She weighed her death, then slightly nodded.  
"We were sent by a Mongol captain to scout the temple for supplies, but here we are with a bigger prize. The Ghost's woman."  
Yuna's eyes widened in true fright. _How did they know?_  
"You're going to come with us and not make a sound, or your dead. Either way works, but we'd rather have you alive."  
The man dragged her backwards into the bamboo forest, then motioned to his unseen companions, who stepped forward from the deeper shadows of the forest to tie her hands. _Ah, Straw Hat Ronins. Traitors!_  
Their leader roughly whirled her around to face him, his hand an iron band on both of hers, however she couldn't get a good look at his face as it was mostly covered by his straw hat. He held out his other hand expectantly, and his subordinate placed a cloth in his waiting hand.  
Yuna braced her legs, ready to run if the moment presented itself. She shouted at the leader, hoping to delay what was coming next.  
"What do you have to gain with this?! Khotun Khan is dead! The Mongols are on the run and being hunted. Why still help them?"  
Their leader whipped his hand out and grabbed her face roughly, squeezing hard to show her he was not amused nor ready to be lenient. Yuna felt her heart accelerate as she felt the cloth within his hand touch her cheek.  
"There are still captains out there and wealth to be had. Do you think we forgot the Ghost's part in killing Ryuzo?"  
Yuna yanked her head free from his grasp and spat out, "HE BETRAYED US! HE BETRAYED HIS PEOPLE AND HIS HONOR! We know what he did to those people! Lord Shimura would have fed the ronin, but Ryuzo betrayed us all!"  
She didn't even see his hand move, but she felt the hard slap of his hand against her cheek with the back of his hand. _Ah, I'm back in familiar territory it seems._  
"You will hold your tongue, woman, or it will be cut!"  
Yuna clamped her lips closed against the pain and against saying anything further, but inside she was planning. She had a few moments to escape, she could potentially, yank out of his grasp if she tried and attempt an escape through the forest... but, then the ronin would attack the temple. There was only Jin, Norio, and Lady Masako to fight back, and she wasn't sure if the Mongols were coming too. She tried to control her breathing as she realized what she had to do. She would have to go with them to spare the others, but she could still be smart about it. She would have to leave a trail for Jin to track, however she couldn't be obvious about it, otherwise the ronin would realize what she was doing. She would not give them the satisfaction of fear or crying.   
So Yuna stood, proud and unbowed, quietly awaiting what came next.  
The ronin leader sensed her compliance, tied her hands, and gagged her.  
"I cannot risk you making any noise, but if you prove a good prisoner we will take this off in a few hours."  
Yuna hated the gag already and tried to adjust to it. She was going to be very thirsty in a little bit, she knew this well. _Fuck me and my life_ , thought Yuna. _Just when I thought things were going my way.. ha!_  
The leader motioned over to his subordinate again, calling him over.  
"Gather up the horses and be ready. We will be in the clearing momentarily."  
"Yes, as you wish."  
And just as fast as the words were spoken, the subordinate raced through the trees, gone in a blink. Meanwhile, their leader whistled like a bird and twenty other ronin appeared from the shadows.  
"Men. We found a prize today that I mean to collect on. We ride to the Mongol camp at Twilight's Edge Overlook. With Lord Shimura recovering and holed up in Castle Shimura, it shouldn't be too bad sneaking past that point and heading north."  
_Fuck,_ thought Yuna, _we're going north. It'll be cold and my wolf vest is in the pagoda._  
"I want no mistakes. We ride quiet and avoid patrols, even the Mongol ones. I don't trust them to keep their word, so until we meet the Captain at the assigned meeting place, we keep to ourselves. Now move out!"  
The leader grabbed her upper arm and forced her to march in step with him towards their horses. She turned one last time to look towards the temple, but was yanked forward and forced to pay attention to keeping up. She hoped Jin would catch up as soon as possible. Her heart was breaking already over the worry she was causing him. On the positive side though, the dumbass didn't take her weapon away just yet, SO perhaps once they're far enough away she could make a break for it. _Dumbass._ The important part was to always make them underestimate you because of your gender or because of their own stupid expectations. Always. Then strike when they least expect it.  
Yuna forced herself to stumble a bit and mess up the dirt as an obvious sign of struggle for Jin to find.  
"Keep up!"  
She forced herself to sound pitiful and managed to leak a few tears from her eyes. All she had to do was think of Jin suffering and it was instant tears. Easy. The trick was to sound convincing but not annoying, not until she needed them to think she was annoying.  
They soon came to a clearing and saw the gathered horses pawing and snorting in agitation. They sensed the tension from the men.  
"Grab your horse and mount up!"  
Before she could blink, the leader swung her up onto a horse and then seated himself behind her.   
_Well, there goes that plan._ She had hoped she would get a horse to herself, and leave bits behind as they rode, but now she would have to be extra careful and cunning. _On the positive side, she was not swung over the back of the horse like a sack of rice._ That was actually pretty good luck there.   
"Straw Hat Ronin! Ride out!"  
With a yell, they urged their horses forward through the clearing and towards the road. They rode up the back roads past the abandoned Mongol camp at the the river junction across from Kawata Village, and rode up the paths up the Old Toyotama Hills. Yuna choked back a cry against her memory of being here with Jin yesterday. She squirmed and tried to throw the weight of the horse into a heavier footprints against the mud. As the ronin leader was distracted with getting the horse in control she quietly ripped a piece of her kimono shirt off and let it fall on the road for Jin to find later.   
Once he got the horse back under a steady controlled gallop, she saw that they had past across to the other side of Benkei's Falls and were taking the back road up the mountains where they picked up smaller groups of ronin who were waylaying travelers. Soon they were thirty ronin strong as they raced down the roads. Yuna wondered if she'd ever get her chance to escape and tried not to despair.  
However soon enough her chance presented itself. The ronin screeched to a stop at a stray Mongol patrol blocking the road. They had set up their own checkpoint and guarded it zealously.   
The ronin leader cursed under his breath as he dismounted, and signaled for his second to follow him towards the Mongol leader.  
The ronin leader only had rudimentary knowledge of Mongolian and repeated his contact's name and location. Which was just as well, because the Mongol leader only had rudimentary knowledge of Japanese, and tried to argue back. They both argued and postured aggressively, waving hands and getting louder. The ronin got restless as they watched the Mongols, and began to ready themselves in case this went south. The Mongols also saw the ronin getting touchy, and also began to steel themselves for battle, already at a disadvantage to the ronin as the ronin had more numbers. Both parties seemed to have forgotten her. 

Quietly, and slowly, she eased down off the horse on the side away from the crowds. She crouched down and ever so slowly, crept towards the side of the road and the bamboo thickets that lined it. Her heart was pounding so hard, it was like a nonstop thunderous boom that was rushing throughout her entire body. She felt she would scream from the tension. She heard the ronin getting louder and their leader now shouting at the Mongol to get out of the way. It sounded like he was done negotiating and asking.   
_Shit, shit, shit, shit..._ Yuna tried to creep towards the bamboo faster.   
She made it just as the ronin started shouting and getting off their horses. Practically vibrating with tension and adrenaline, she yanked her gag down, then grabbed her knife from her belt and began to try and cut through the cloth tying her hands as she crept behind the bamboo. She also tried very hard not to look over the cliff's edge on the right, as it was a sheer drop thousands of feet towards the ocean and jagged rocks below.   
She had just got to the last cluster of bamboo trees when she heard fighting down the road behind her. She sighed in relief but knew she wasn't safe yet. Yuna peeked around the corner to see if anyone was near her and saw they were all clustered down where she left them. Gratefully, and silently, she crept across the crossroads and towards the cliffs on the other side of the road. There was a road that lead up to Fort Koyasan nearby. She doubted Lord Shimura's samurai troops were still stationed in the fort, but you never knew. She would rather take her chances with them, than the two parties behind her. She finally freed herself from her cloth ties just as she neared the stone face of the rising hillside. Shuddering with relief, she threw her ties down as well as the soaked gag. She was thirsty now from having the gag in her mouth for so long, and hoped she could get water at the Fort.   
She quickly crept further up the hill, keeping low and to the tall grass, when she suddenly found herself in a sparse forest of scarlet maple trees behind the fort. She groaned mentally as she knew the Fort was huge, and circled left around the perimeter walls. What seemed like hours but was probably only twenty minutes, she finally found one of the entrances to the fort. She peeked around the corner to see if there was anyone there or if it was friend or foe, however it looked like Lord Shimura had pulled back his troops, leaving the fort abandoned. She entered the courtyard and looked towards the stables, however there were no horses to be found there. There was some water still left in their troughs, however the water was probably stale and would make her sick. She wasn't sure if she should risk it and decided to see if she could search around some more to see if there was a well or water caskets to be found.   
She found a shed with food, drying meats, rice, and millet, but no water was there and that was her first priority. So she left the shed and continued up the courtyard. Just as she discovered some water caskets, some refugees crept out from the abandoned sentry houses.  
"Hello! Sorry, I won't hurt you! I was running from a Mongol patrol down aways and found myself here. I just need some water and I'll be on my way!"  
Yuna bowed quickly to the one old woman and just as quickly began to drink before they could say no, just in case. It was the sweetest water she had ever drank and she thought she had arrived in paradise. She sighed loudly once she had drank her fill, then turned to the same old woman who was still walking towards her.   
"Yes?"  
"Sorry, dear, didn't mean to frighten you. I just wanted to see if you were alright and if you were hungry. If you have been traveling and running from Mongols, you must be famished. We have some food to share if you're hungry."  
"Ah, I don't want to impose. I ate this morning, I'm fine."  
The old lady took her by the hand and led her back towards the campfire they set up in the lea of the house and cliff.   
"Come! Come! Indulge an old mother and eat a small bite. Please rest for a moment, dear."  
Yuna bowed again before sitting on the mat near the fire and thanked her.

  
* * *  
**Meanwhile, at Kushi Temple:**

"My Lord! My Lord! Abbot! Lady Masako!"  
Jin turned from his discussion towards the monk rushing through the temple doorway. He noticed the monk had gone pale with worry and was greatly agitated. Jin suddenly had a bad feeling about this and subtly clenched his hand in his lap. He had enjoyed catching up with Lady Masako and talking with Norio while they waited for Yuna, but he was worried now. She should have been here and now this monk was running in with a worried expression.   
Keeping his voice calm, he replied in kind, "Please calm down, sir, and tell us what is wrong."  
Norio added, "Yes, Sato-san, please what has happened?"  
Lady Masako merely gazed at the monk and awaited his answer. Whatever it was, it would be, and she could either assist or not.  
Monk Sato took a breath and answered in a rush, "Lady Yuna has gone missing! She told Tanaka that she was going to check the horses, but when we went to check on her she wasn't there! All horses are accounted for and it doesn't look like she took any of her things. All we found by the horses was a lotus flower!"  
Jin was up in a flash and racing out the door while the others discussed what was to be done. He ran across the courtyard towards the horses, quickly checked that the saddles were still on the saddle post along with their saddlebags, then searched the ground around the area.   
He quickly found the flower he had given her earlier fallen by the gate post.   
He rushed out the gate and shouted in a loud, desperate voice, "YUNA!", as he quickly looked around the outside.  
Again, he shouted her name, "YUNA!" hoping she'd come running from the trees with a sheepish look on her face as she apologized for worrying everyone. But she didn't come. He sank to his knees for a moment in disbelief, clutching his sword for support.   
Where was she? _She was missing._ **_She was missing._** _His heart was missing_. Where was she? _Was she hurt_?   
He gripped his sword tightly as his thoughts spiraled. He had to find her. Where was she?  
_Yuna._


	13. I Will Not Rest, I Will Not Falter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin must track down Yuna as fast as he can and Norio pledges to help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a long action-y chapter
> 
> it has sword fighting, torture, revenge, chases, escapes, hunting, bad men, good men, beautifulest ladies, true love, miracles...

Jin wasn't sure how long he sat there on the stone pavement, but he stirred when he felt a hand on his shoulder and Norio's voice.  
"Jin, I'm sorry, but we must hurry. Come friend, let us see if we can find any clues. We must find, Yuna."  
Jin sniffed, blinking back emotions, then carefully stood to face Norio. Norio's eyes widened at what he saw on his face, and placed his hand on Jin's shoulder again in comfort.   
Norio patted his shoulder, saying, "I'll look left, you look right. I'm sure we'll find something that will lead us to her. I'm with you Jin."  
Jin inclined his head, got a hold of himself, and replied, "I thank you, Norio. Truly."  
Norio inclined his head as well, adding, "We'll find her. Don't let doubts cloud your eyes or judgement."  
Jin nodded and turned right, while Norio headed off the other way to look for signs of struggle. He took his time searching the ground carefully, looking for the smallest sign. He lucked out after a few minutes when he saw an indentation hidden underneath some overgrown clover. Jin bent down, squatting while he gently brushed the leaves from what he was trying to find and saw what he was hoping for.   
It was a man's large footprint. It looked like it had dug in and was pushed back a bit, as if he was pulling something. He then found smaller footprints nearby, which looked like they scraped through the dirt as if grabbed and dragged backwards towards the bamboo forest.   
Jin followed the tracks deeper into the thicket, and saw grass still trampled down, as if multiple men had walked and stood there. In the middle of the shadowed clearing was scuffed grass and dug up turf, with a small scraped trail leading deeper into the forest. It looked like the smaller person had stumbled and was dragged again. Jin gripped his sword handle so tight that his knuckles showed white under his skin and the leather of the sword handle creaked under the pressure.  
He called out to Norio before he got too far away, "Norio! I found something!"  
Norio quickly ran over to Jin, who was crouched down examining the turf.   
"What did you find, friend?"  
Jin moved a few feet over as he tried to follow and decipher what he was looking at.   
His brow furrowed as he still stared at the ground, but answered, "From what I can see, they grabbed Yuna at the gate, held her there for a moment, then dragged her here to this small clearing."  
He stood and walked over to another scuffle mark in the grass, adding, "It looks like a group of men met here, then they go off that way, with this man dragging Yuna along as well."  
Jin walked a bit further in the forest, closely watching the ground, then knelt by another scuff mark disturbing the grass. "She tried to pull herself away here, digging her feet in deep."  
He stood and followed the tracks deeper, passing a dead body tied to a tree stump.  
He paused, turning to Norio, "Ah, it looks like the missing guard. We'll have to notify the monks when we return."  
Norio sighed and said a prayer for the departed monk, hoping that he finds peace in the next life. They then continued on and found themselves in a large, open clearing in the forest, nearer to the paths that intersected it.  
Jin looked around and noted the grass was completely trampled and torn amidst many hoof tracks, as well as horse droppings here and there.  
"Well it looks like they had a small herd of horses here, maybe twenty or thirty."   
His brow furrowed in confusion, adding, "But with that amount of men, why didn't they attack the temple?"  
Norio shook his head in confusion as well. "That I do not know. Perhaps something made them change their mind? Or perhaps Yuna was prize enough."  
Jin tightened his hand over his sword handle again, nostrils flaring as he tried to push down his negative emotions again. He felt fear for Yuna's safety, but mixed with that was an overwhelming anger at anyone who would hurt her. He felt it like a bolt of lightning coursing through his veins, hot and destructive, just waiting to strike indiscriminately with his wrath. Years of training and memories of his Uncle's words banked his ire. He built a wall around it, containing it, shaping it, controlling it, but knowing he would unleash it with the merest breath if needed. He learned this lesson well with the Mongol invasion of his home.  
Jin turned towards Norio, saying, "I'm going to follow the tracks to wherever they lead. I'll be going on foot as I don't want to miss anything. Please go back and let the others know what has happened."  
Norio shook his head, answering in a firm voice, "I'm going with you. The others already know we are searching for tracks, and one more person sitting on their hands will not help Yuna."  
He adjusted his beads in small agitation, then added, "Let me help. As repayment for all you have done for me, but also because she is important to you."  
Norio looked up then and looked Jin in the eye. "I count you as a friend. I would do whatever I could to help you, Jin."  
Jin inhaled and tried to calm down, adjusting his stance to a relaxed pose.   
He inclined his head towards Norio, answering, "I appreciate it, Norio. I count you as a friend as well. You have stuck by my side throughout all this war with the invaders, as well as being on the run from my uncle. You're a good person, Norio."  
Jin shuffled his feet in agitation, betraying his worry, "Yuna is most precious to me. I... She must be found."  
Norio gently clapped Jin on the back and urged him towards the tracks again.  
"Let's find her together, Jin."  
Norio shifted his naginata, and Jin rotated his neck to ease the tension, then they both turned towards the trail of hoof prints leading away from the clearing. They walked quickly through the forest and thickets, almost running at this point, as the trail was very clear and easy to follow.   
Jin tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but it seemed like his worry and fear bubbled up and was exhaled with each breath. He grew frustrated with himself and the whole situation, but himself most of all. He let his guard down. He should have been more vigilant. Just because the temple and monks were peaceful didn't mean the Mongols had stopped invading, nor that the Straw Hat Ronin were no more. He should have personally done rounds to check the perimeter walls. Now Yuna has paid the price for his carelessness. He exhaled hard and clenched his fists tighter, wanting to punch something, anything to release this anger.  
Before the invasion, he would have counted himself as someone who was thoughtful and calm, someone who had mastered his emotions. But after Komoda, it felt like he had died and been brought back slightly wrong, as pieces of himself were now missing or no longer fit right. The world had turned out to be not as he thought, there was incredible cruelty and violence in the world. His peaceful world had shattered and so many lives had been lost. So much violence and wanton destruction. He felt a maelstrom of loss, anger, fear, and violence himself, as if Komoda had instilled its darkness in his newly beating heart. He wanted and tried so hard to save everyone, but he wanted to punish the perpetrators so badly his blood sang with it. Sometimes, on his worst days, he could almost believe the peasant stories that he was a demonic ghost sent to rip and rend the invaders. On those days it felt like he could wade through a river of blood with a smile as long as he could tear through the invading Mongols, letting loose his wrathful desire to rid the island of them for good.   
He knew his uncle saw this darkness and warned him repeatedly, but the old ways were not working and there were so many people to save. They haunted his dreams, a sea of unending hands begging for him to save them, crying and sobbing in the darkness. In dreams and in waking hours he tried to save them all, reaching his own hand towards them, but it seemed like for each one he saved there was one he lost. He tried and tried, but there was always someone sobbing for help, someone always dying with their last thought of their loved ones, their deaths made pointless and ignoble by the Mongols. There were so many voices crying out for help, and yet he could do naught by try. It was built into his bones and very blood. He was born to protect and help people, even if it meant he had to crawl over sharp rocks to do so. And now he paid the price for going against the shogunate, just as his uncle had warned.  
He breathed heavily to expel his thoughts and concentrate on finding Yuna. She still had no idea how important she was to him, how much he loved her. They had confessed to each other, laid in each other's arms, and he knew that Yuna loved him as well, but he also knew how hard it was for her to adjust to someone being kind to her, much less loving her. He knew she was still learning to accept love. He also knew it would be a long process, but it was one he was willing to wait for. He would always wait for her, always be there for her. She was his reason that he continued on.   
She saved him, then showed him over and over again many more reasons to live. She had continued to save him, always, even when he stumbled, even when he was full of doubt, even when he felt the darkness in his heart threatening to drown him. She was always there, ready to help, ready to do anything to save her brother and others. _She was so damn brave and loyal._ Even when he asked for things he knew was above and beyond what she had bargained for, _she had stayed for him and her brother_. She saw the pleading look in his eyes and stayed, even when all common sense and self preservation screamed for her to leave as fast as she could with her brother, and damn his uncle's half kept promises. Once her heart was given, she would move heaven and earth to save that person. He had felt and guessed at the undercurrents in her heart, all the hardships she endured for her brother. So much heartache, pain and toil. If he thought about it for very long it made him want to weep, truly.   
He admired her so much and she didn't even know. She never lost her way, never gave up, and she always learned from her mistakes, trying to be smarter, better. The love he felt for her saved him from his darkest moments, and she didn't even know. Or if he tried to tell her she wouldn't believe him anyway because she felt so unlovable or not worth anyone's time. This was a woman who had been kicked so repeatedly by life but still found reasons to keep going, keep trying. He loved her so much he wanted to spoil her and shield her from all the ugliness of the world.   
_And she was beautiful to him._ The shape of her face, the intelligence and laughter in her eyes when she let her guard down, her lips quirked with secrets, the texture of her hair and softness of her skin. He savored being able to touch her and lay with her at last; he felt like a man dying of thirst that was finally able to drink his fill. She was like the moon to him, mysterious, beautiful, haunting, secretive, but still guiding his footsteps and lighting the way. He counted himself lucky to win her favor and slowly discover all the secrets of her body and mind. He wanted to memorize it all and keep her close beside him always. She made him feel alive.  
She was his heart, and now she was missing. He wanted to scream and howl with it, and yearned to take his revenge. Yet all he could do was be patient and hold onto the slim hope that at the end of it all he would find her, safe and unharmed.  
Jin shook his dark circling thoughts from his mind as both he and Norio came to the end of the forest and found themselves on a road near the Kushi grasslands. He motioned to Norio, pointing at the tracks as the lead out to the road.  
"It looks like they veered right and continued on down the road, thankfully. I'm glad they didn't cut across the grasslands."  
Norio nodded and motioned for Jin to follow the tracks with him, "Then we go right. Looks like they're heading north, towards Old Toyotama Hills. Although nothing is up that way really, just some forts and Turtle Rock Shrine. I don't think there's any strong Mongol forces camped there, so their goal must be farther north."  
Both were jogging now, their strides even and economical to conserve energy, as they followed the tracks north. Jin paused by a stone lantern as he saw something laying in the mud. He stopped to crouch and picked up the object. It was a piece of cloth, which looked like it was ripped haphazardly.   
He turned to Norio, who was politely waiting for him. "It's a piece of kimono. It looks like Yuna's kimono shirt. I recognize the color and piece of pattern here."  
Jin looked up at Norio with a small sliver of hope in his eyes, "She must have left this for me to find."  
Norio gave a small smile of understanding and compassion, and answered, "Yuna is very intelligent and cunning. It seems like something she would do."  
Jin blinked back the wetness in his eyes and tucked away the fabric piece in his satchel. He then motioned with a slight nod towards the road and said, "Let's hurry and see where the road takes us."  
Norio reiterated for Jin, "We'll find her."   
They both began their slow run again, following the horse tracks north, which apparently followed the same road Jin and Yuna had ridden on yesterday. On they ran, past the stone bridge leading towards Koshimuzu farm, and up the inclining bamboo lined road into the hills.   
Unfortunately, there was a small band of Mongols that were coming down the road. As there were only three, both Jin and Norio looked at each for a moment to nod in agreement, then unsheathed their weapons. Norio swung naginata in a mighty arc against one, and Jin took the big bastard with the full armor and shield. Both Jin and Norio tried to keep the Mongols in front to shield them from the third, who looked to be an archer.   
Norio stabbed and deflected blows, almost dancing, as if his naginata was an extension of his arm. He was deadly with his weapon strikes, but he also left openings to give his opponent the option to just walk away if he chose. The training of a monk, Jin supposed.  
Meanwhile, Jin watched his opponent and struck when openings presented themselves. He kicked at his enemy's shield to throw him off balance, then followed with a deadly whirlwind of strikes. He felt his frustration grow and viewed the Mongols as obstacles in finding Yuna. His attacks grew more deadly and frenzied, and soon the Mongol was bathed in his own blood. Yet somehow he still was able to stand against Jin.  
Jin's eyes narrowed in anger, and he stilled himself for a final strike. He took all of his anger and frustration, and focused it into a single point, as if he could use the wind to carry his sword to his target. He sliced out in an arc, as fast as lightning, and struck down the Mongol before him, cutting his sword arm in half and slicing deep into his side. Blood sprayed up like a fountain as the huge Mongol collapsed backward into the grass. However, just as Jin turned to check on Norio, he felt an arrow strike past his shoulder, grazing it. The archer had him in his sights. It hurt like hell, but he pushed through it and ran towards the archer.  
The archer yelled as he let loose another arrow, but Jin had already moved. He came up behind Norio's opponent, struck him in the back, then continued running towards the archer, weaving left and right to stay out of the archer's fire.  
Norio finished off his opponent and began running towards the archer as well.  
"Got tired of waiting for me to kill him, huh?"  
Jin winced through his pain and half laughed, "You were taking too long."  
Norio made a rude noise as he passed Jin to attack the archer. He swung his naginata in a downward arc, pulling the Mongol's feet out from under him, then stabbed him directly in the chest. The Mongol's spasmed and coughed on his own blood for a minute, then lay still in the grass.  
Norio then turned to Jin and was about to say something, however more arrows came whizzing through the trees and they both ran for cover. They turned towards the source and found five more Mongol soldiers bearing down on them. It appeared that the ones they had fought were the initial scouting party.  
Jin cursed under his breath and reached for his satchel, drawing out a smoke bomb. He threw it down just as the Mongols were dismounting and quickly dispatched as many as he could in the confusion and smoke. When the smoke cleared he saw that only three were remaining. Again.  
His arm was hurting a bit, and they still had to find Yuna. He couldn't spare time on them. He reached into his satchel and drew out his kunai, throwing them at the soldiers. He hit most of them, he saw the blood spurting from their throats as they gurgled on it, however just to be sure, both he and Norio systematically finished them off. They then both looked around to verify if there were anymore, then flicked the blood of their weapons before putting them away. Jin checked the bodies to retrieve some of his kunai and take any small supplies they could store in their own satchels.   
Jin then checked his shoulder and saw it wasn't bleeding too terribly, however he took a moment to wrap a makeshift bandage over it before leaving.  
As the both began running again, Norio asked, "How's your arm?"  
Jin answered honestly, "It hurts, but I can still move it and it's not bleeding that badly. It will keep until we find Yuna."  
Norio nodded and replied, "As long as you keep it clean and know your limits."  
Jin grimly nodded back and kept running. He knew his limits, but he also knew he had to press on. They continued running up the hill path, hoping they came across Yuna soon. Both of them were filthy with blood and mud from the road, and Jin knew they would be tiring soon.  
They came up to the stone bridge by Benkei's Falls, and saw the horse tracks turn right, over the bridge to the road on the eastern side of the island. Both of them crossed the bridge without pausing, turning left at the stone lantern to follow the tracks ever north.   
The incline became steeper, and soon Jin felt his legs begin to tire and burn from the sustained effort. They had been running for almost two hours, and were tired, bruised, cut, and filthy. Still he kept going, and still Norio kept pace. They ran ever upward, the hill path becoming steeper and steeper, until they saw the small islands past the cliffs on the right and the Kubara lighthouse in the distance. They ran up the winding path for another twenty minutes or so, until they heard the sound of battle in the distance.  
Both of them slowed to catch their breath before proceeding.   
After they both rested for a few minutes, Jin stated, "We should duck down, keep low, and stay behind that rock line as we go up. We don't know how many are up there yet."  
Norio wiped his brow, then pointed at the path at the fork that doubled back, "We could take that one and circle around. It goes back aways before looping back north."  
Jin shook his head, answering, "We don't have time. The tracks lead north up the current path. You may go back if you wish, I'll either sneak by or take them all on, but I'm going ahead."  
Norio shook his head in turn, stating, "I'm not leaving you. We'll find her together."  
Jin inclined his head, thanking him, "Thank you, Norio. I appreciate all your help."  
Norio waved it away, crouched down and began walking toward the rock face and boulders shielding them view, then circled around the outside.  
He whispered back to Jin, "Be careful, there's a small path around but the cliff drop is only a foot space or two away."  
They both looked at the cliff drop and saw how far it reached. It was thousands of feet steep, full of jagged rocks and pounding surf. They would die if they fell.  
Jin nodded and they both stepped forward, using the boulder to anchor themselves from falling as they inched and eased around it. Once passed, they inched towards a cluster of bamboo trees, peaking around to see if they could see how many soldiers. They saw a few watching the battle from the back, however they still could not get a sense of numbers from their angle, the hill path was too steep.   
Jin and Norio, crept pass and circled around the boulders next to the cliff's edge again. At least this set of boulders had a little bit wider path to navigate around, but still they were careful of the cliff.   
However as they came to the next bamboo cluster they saw the land even out and got a clearer sense of numbers. Some Straw Hat Ronin were fighting a small Mongol contingent that had set up a checkpoint on the road. It looked like they had been fighting for a while and were now getting tired, however both sides had taken casualties. The battle was loud enough with shouting and weapons clashing, that Jin decided it was worth whispering to Norio.  
"Shall we sneak past?"  
Norio nodded as it was the wise course of action. Both of them were tired and there looked to be two dozen enemies between the ronin and the Mongols.  
They began to circle around the bamboo cluster to keep to the cliff's edge again, however Jin paused as he heard one of the ronin shouting at one of his companions.  
"Did you find her?"  
"No, I'm sorry Ito-san. We don't know where she is. She snuck off while we were fighting, but didn't take a horse and left no trail we could follow."  
Jin peeked around the bamboo and saw the ronin whirl back to face his subordinate, then backhand him in frustration.  
"Find her! Double back, see if you can find a trail. I should gut you where you stand, idiot! Were you not supposed to watch her? She is worth more than you ever will be!"  
The subordinate bowed, replying "As you wish, Ito-san."  
He was about to turn and go back down the road they had come from, however a Mongol archer had spotted them, shouting to his own companions. He then grabbed the horn at his belt and proceeded to blow it loudly, alerting everyone to the new enemies.  
The Mongols up front were still too busy fighting the ronin, however the ronin in the back turned towards where the Mongols were pointing, and spied both Jin and Norio.  
Jin cursed and stood up, unsheathing his sword.  
Not turning from the enemy, he called back to Norio, "I need one of those ronin alive to answer questions. Preferably that one called Ito."  
Norio, unleashing his naginata and lazily swirling it before him to warm up his wrists, answered, "Understood."  
Some of the Mongols from the other side skirted around their fighting companions to come fight them, while the ronin to the left advanced as well.  
Norio advanced on the oncoming Mongols, waiting for one to get within striking range. He had a grim determined look to his face as he faced them.   
Jin slowly walked towards the ronin while keeping Norio to his back. He kept his sword at the ready, waiting for a ronin to step forward. When three stepped forward, he threw his last smoke bomb to the ground and wasted no time in killing them. He saw the smoke had disoriented some of the mongols on the outer circle surrounding Norio, then dispatched them too, leaving two for Norio to finish.  
He then turned back to the remaining ronin that faced them, and held his sword up in a fighting stance.  
"WHY DID YOU TAKE HER? _WHERE IS SHE?_ "  
The one called Ito stumbled back at bit at the ferocity of his shout. It had been a gutteral shout holding all his pent up anger and desperation. He motioned for his subordinate to charge Jin, while he stayed back and circled the fight, looking for an opening.  
Jin kept his eye on the ronin in front of him, but also on his leader. He struck a blow, knocking the subordinate back, but not hitting him. Jin side stepped and kept watching for other openings. He didn't know why he had shouted those questions, he knew they didn't know where Yuna was, but at the same time he felt as if the questions were ripped from his soul. Here finally were the people that took Yuna from him and his whole entire being demanded answers. He had to get to the one named Ito, then check on Norio as soon as posaible. They didn't have much time.  
He adjusted his stance and strengthened his resolve to kill the ronin in front of him. His murderous intent must have been written large on his face, because the ronin suddenly stumbled at his look, trembling.  
Without a word, Jin struck him down in that moment, cutting him from sternum to groin. Blood sprayed out and guts bulged out as the man screamed in agony, crying at the violence and pain. Jin finished him by pulling him up, then stabbing him in the heart before dropping him to the dirt road. He looked toward at the ronin leader who was backing up against the cliff face behind him, and without breaking his gaze, he flicked the excess blood from his blade onto the ground.  
Jin mercilessly advanced, again letting all his anger, frustration, fear, desperation flow through and show on his face, as well as his hatred for the man standing before him for daring to kidnap Yuna.  
He grabbed the man by the throat, and placed his blade perilously close as he growled out, "I'll ask again, why did you take her?"  
The man was stupid because instead of stabbing Jin, he dropped his sword in fear and clawed at Jin's arm and hand.  
He blubbered out, "We knew she was the Ghost's woman! The captain was searching for her! (gasping) There was a reward!"  
Jin's hand tightened into almost a claw, cutting off more of the ronin's air. He could feel his emotions frothing at the thought of Yuna being targeted.   
"COWARD! WHERE IS THIS CAPTAIN? ANSWER ME, DOG!"  
He shook the ronin to answer, not realizing that he was now dangling him in the air, held up by the weight of Jin's anger.  
The ronin, now terrified, gasped out, "Twilight's. Edge."  
Jin dropped the ronin as he felt Norio place a hand on his shoulder. He was breathing hard, still absolutely _furious_ with the ronin. He wanted to kick him until he was begging for mercy. He wanted to hold him against the hill cliff face and pummel him bloody with his fists. He wanted to rip his throat out with his bare hands.  
But Norio was watching, and he remembered their conversation when Norio had attacked and burned Fort Shouni in revenge for his brother, Enjo. He knew Norio would offer no judgement, not after Jin witnessed his revenge, but at the same time, it wouldn't feel right torturing someone in front of Norio either. Jin felt the lingering memories of his uncle's teachings and the years of his training strain against him, telling him he should act honorably. However, this was beyond honor. They had stolen his love, his very heart. Jin's nostrils flared as he considered his options, his breathing still hard from battle and fury, and he suddenly remembered Yuna crying and begging Jin for justice at Mamushi Farmstead. As a compromise to himself, he flicked the blood from his sword, sheathing it in one swift motion, then unsheathed his tanto.   
He picked up the prostrate ronin again with one hand, and growled out, " _No one touches Yuna. **Ever**._"  
Jin then slit his throat in a great spray of blood. Then not finished, he cut off his head and let the body fall to the ground in a great burgeoning pool of blood. Jin's chest was still still expanding with great breaths as he turned towards Norio and the rest of the battle down the road.   
However Norio's unfazed face was nothing compared to the sight that he beheld down the road. The last remaining ronin and Mongols were looking at him in varying degrees of terror and fear as he stood there soaked in blood and holding a severed head. Some fled in terror, not willing to face the Ghost of Tsushima. Others remained rooted to the ground, unable to move out of fear. Some fell backwards and blubbered.   
Jin, unremorseful, flicked the blood and gore from his tanto and sheathed it. He didn't understand this nonsense, he had seen worse in battle and had seen what the Mongols did. But he used their fear to his advantage. He threw the severed head at the small crowd as a distraction. Then as they fought each other in horror to get away, he unsheathed his katana sword, then ran forward and sliced them down, one by one. He sliced them down with no remorse, nor emotion, as he felt he had used it all up on the ronin leader. He was merely finishing the job and clearing up murderous dogs who would prey on innocent people.  
When he had killed them all, he wiped the blood from his sword on his wrapped forearm, then sheathed it in a swift, smooth motion. He then wandered over to the Mongol's checkpoint wagon, which held supplies and various items to search for a medical kit. He couldn't tell from his blood soaked shirt whether his wound was bleeding again, but it was hurting and he was sure that he had opened it again when he lifted that ronin off the ground. While he rooted around the wagon searching, he heard Norio in the background grunting as he dragged some of the corpses off the road. Jin would help him in a moment.  
Jin found what he was looking for, then looked down at his sleeve. He debated about ripping it to get at his bandage, but it would be wasteful now that he was no longer Lord Sakai with access to the honors and wealth with that title.  
He sighed deeply, then took the box over to a rock where he could sit down for a moment so he could strip his armor and get to his wound.  
Walking over to the nearest boulder, he shouted to Norio, "We should just toss them over the cliff, to be honest!"  
Norio actually paused, wiped his brow and considered it.   
He gave a grim, half laugh, saying, "You may be right."  
Norio began to drag bodies again, this time towards the nearby cliff.  
Jin shouted over again, "Just pile them up, you'll need two people to toss them over and I'll be over in a minute."  
Norio nodded to show he heard him, then did as Jin suggested. While Norio did that, Jin quickly stripped down to assess his wound. It wouldn't help Yuna if he bled out. He saw the bandage was soaked with blood and began to unwind it, cutting it off when he lost patience. He used a stray cloth he picked up from the wagon to mop up the remaining blood, then looked towards his wound. It had opened a bit, but he didn't think it would need stitches, at least not right away.   
Jin quickly wrapped his wound with clean bandages, then dressed and reapplied his armor, using the cloth to wipe his face and excess gore from his clothes. He sighed, stood, then walked over to Norio's pile to help toss them over.   
"Ready when you are, Norio."

* * *  
**Fort Koyasan:**

Yuna handed the small bowl back to the old lady and thanked her again.  
"I'm really grateful, ma'am, truly. But I must go now, before any Mongols stop by. You'll have a better chance of avoiding their anger if I'm not here."  
The old woman looked at her with an appraising gaze. She was very kind, but she sensed there was more that Yuna wasn't telling her.  
"The Mongols will be looking for you, specifically? I'm sure to them, one Japanese peasant is the same as the next."  
Yuna made herself look sheepish, and answered, "Ah.. I kind of angered them with my capture and insulted them repeatedly. I might have called them horse fuckers, and that their mothers often copulated with horses and goats. I also remember calling them other insulting things, like they smelled like horse piss, and their haircuts looked stupid."   
The old woman barked out a laugh and pointed a finger at her, "You got guts, girl. Maybe more brazen bravery than common sense, but good for you. I'm glad you escaped."  
Yuna sighed and stood. "Really you've been too kind. If I happen upon Lord Shimura's soldiers, I'll try to tell them there are refugees here at the fort. I suggest however, if you can make the journey, that you go to one of the temples. They're all helping the refugees at the behest of the new Abbott, Norio, and his friend, Lord Sakai. They have food and medicine."  
The old woman nodded, showing she heard her. "We just might do that, young miss. We might just do that. Are you sure you have to go right now? Don't you want to rest for the night?"  
Yuna sighed, answering, "Yes, that sounds lovely, but I really must get back. My.. Jin is waiting for me. He must be worried sick. I must get back to Kushi Temple."  
The old woman stood to walk her back to the gate, and Yuna bowed to the other refugees in farewell.   
As they walked, the old woman asked, "Tell me about your young man. Is he a good man?"  
Yuna felt tears prick her eyes as she answered, "He is the best man. He's too kind by far, which gets him into trouble. He's very brave, strong, and honorable. He lost his only family recently, and had been alone for a long time before that. He's very shy and reserved, but once you get to know him he has a dry sense of humor. He told me he loves me, and would lay the stars at my feet. I would give anything to be with him again."  
Yuna added, mainly to herself, "I miss him. I need to find him. He'll be heartbroken that I was taken from him."  
The old woman paused and took Yuna's hand in both of hers, patting her hand, "He sounds like a wonderful man. You'll find him soon, I know you will."  
Yuna gave a small, watery smile, saying, "Thank you. You know, I keep thanking you and I haven't even asked your name, I'm sorry."  
The old woman smiled and released her hand, replying, "It's ok. I know you just escaped and it's hard to think straight. My name is Hana, of Omi."  
She inclined her head, and Yuna did the same, replying, "I'm Yuna, of Yarikawa."  
"A pretty name."  
Yuna smiled, and said, "I could say the same of yours. Thank you, Hana."  
The old woman, Hana, waved away her gratuitous thanks, and began walking with her towards the gate again.   
"It's nothing, we have to look out for each other, especially in these hard times."  
Yuna nodded, then turned towards Hana when they reached the gate.  
"Goodbye, Hana. Please take care."  
Hana pulled her down for a hug, and patted her on the back, "You take care girl. I wish we could give you some food for your journey, but we're short as it is."  
Yuna tried not to cry at Hana's incredible kindness and replied, "You have done more than enough and Kushi Temple isn't far. Please consider going there as well when you can."  
Hana pulled back and smiled, "I'll discuss it with the others. It will be ok. Now, do you know the another way back to the temple, or will you try to sneak back down the road you came?"  
Yuna half waved the question away, answering, "Oh, I'll probably follow the western road and go around the other way of Toyatoma Hills. It will probably take a bit longer, but I should get back by nightfall if I'm lucky."  
Hana sighed in relief and folded her hands primly before her, "Oh good, but please be very careful, girl."  
Yuna bowed again and began to walk away, "I will! I will! You be careful as well, Hana. Goodbye."  
Yuna walked away, a little rested and eager to get back as quickly as possible. She had a long way to go and she needed to find Jin. She would give anything to have Jin in front of her right now.


	14. No Matter How Far, No Matter How Long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin and Norio pick up Yuna's trail, but run into delays and more enemies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a short chapter, but I think it's a good one

Jin and Norio tossed the Mongol and ronin bodies over the cliff's edge, letting the jagged rocks and frothing sea below take them from the earth and their sight. If Jin was brutally honest with himself, there was a certain satisfaction to be gained from tossing the bodies of their enemies over like so much garbage. Since they were in a hurry, they didn't dawdle, and managed to toss them all over in less than twenty minutes.   
Norio rubbed the small of his back and stretched while Jin rotated his wounded shoulder. They then gathered up what they needed and readied themselves to be on the move again.  
"You can still turn back, Norio."  
Norio grimly laughed and replied, "Still trying to get rid of me? I told you I would help and repay my debt for Enjo. I could do no less."  
Jin smiled and said, "Your debt, which there never was, has more than been repaid when we retook Port Izumi."  
Norio adjusted his sash and naginata, then indicated the road before them. "Come my friend, the trail awaits. Let us find Yuna, together."  
Jin inclined his head and joined him on the road as they both began a slow run again up the trail. They ran for a short distance until they came to a fork in the road, with one road leading west and the other leading north, towards the Kubara Lighthouse and beyond.  
"Let's both search to see where her trail next leads."  
Norio searched the edge of the northern road while Jin searched the area around the road leading west.   
After a few minutes, Norio crouched down near some tracks and said, "I don't think she went north, Jin. I see solider footprints, lots of traffic heading north, but no smaller footprints. I don't think she'd risk being caught by going north where there are more soldiers."  
Norio looked up and added, "What do you see, Jin?"  
Jin looked contemplative, his brow furrowed as he followed something in the dirt road. He walked slowly, trying to see if what he was seeing was real or just imagined hope. He found what he was looking for when he saw a small heel lead off from the clutter of foot traffic. It was scuffed a bit, and bit a little deep into the dirt, as if someone was crouched and walking away from the fork below.  
He fell to his knees however, when he saw the discarded gag and cut fabric all twisted like a rope.   
"What did you find?"  
Jin held up his discovery and answered, "I saw footprints that might have been hers, and then I found these. It looks like they twisted this to use as rope, and I'm thinking this might have been a gag. I think.. I think this was hers, Norio."  
Norio walked over to inspect the findings, "It could be. Let us see if we can find more tracks."  
They both walked further up the road, however they both paused as Norio spotted another footprint. It appeared to turn away from the road towards the hillside on the left side of the road, and where tall grass could hide someone escaping Mongol patrols. Norio nodded at Jin and they both ascended the hill, coming upon a small path that doubled back across the hill. On the other side were interspersed maple trees turned scarlet with the season, with a sea of leaves fallen over the grass, and a short distance away was the back wall of Fort Koyasan.  
Jin began a slow run around the perimeter, knowing it was the logical direction but still keeping an eye out for signs of Yuna. His hunch paid off, when a little ways further he found scuffed footprints in a small clearing.   
Jin's heartbeat sped up in hope. _Maybe he was close? Maybe she was in the fort?_  
Jin began flat out running at this point and Norio switched pace to keep up.  
His heart was thunderously pounding and he felt like weeping. _She could be there! She could be safe and right there!_  
He was so close, she could be right there, right around the corner  
His heartbeat was like the roar of an ocean as he ran, outpacing Norio in his desperation to find her. He physically ached to touch her, hold her in his arms, and know she was safe and sound at last.  
He ran down the hill as fast as his legs could carry him and not trip in his haste. He gasped in great lungfuls of air as he ran, not even looking behind him to see where Norio was.  
Jin rounded the corner and slowed, his chest still heaving, and ran into the courtyard where he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.  
An old woman was directing Straw Hat Ronin and a few Mongol soldiers on where to find someone.  
"You'll want to head northwest, towards the Shimura Cemetery and past the Riverside Farm. That's the only logical way. She'd be stupid to head up the mountain to the shrine. Not with the roaming Mongol patrols."  
The old lady glared at the Mongols, then added, "Now. I've done my part, where is my payment? Where is our food?"  
One of the Ronin signaled to the Mongols, who walked over to a cart and began unloading supplies and food.  
Jin's eyes widened as the implications hit him. Yuna wasn't here, but she could be in danger.   
He snapped. One moment, he was standing in the gate processing human beings discussing hunting down another person, and the next he somehow found he had already killed two ronin and one Mongol before they realized they were under attack. He killed two more Mongols and another ronin, then held his sword high and at the ready as he kept the remaining enemies in his sight, side stepping and waiting for the first move.  
It turns out he didn't have to worry about the fighting by himself, as Norio had arrived, announcing his presence with his naginata impaling one of the ronin through his back and out through his chest. It seemed to have unnerved the other ronin and Mongols.  
Jin didn't wait for them to recover and attacked the remaining Mongols himself. He stabbed one up through the chin and through his skull, then whirled and sliced at the other, leaving him a bloody mutilated mess before the soldier finally collapsed in the dirt.  
Unconcerned, Jin flicked the blood and gore from his sword before advancing on the the last ronin.   
He adjusted his stance, holding his sword near eye level and at the ready, then growled out, " **WHERE. IS. SHE.** "  
One of the ronin tried to flee in terror, but Norio caught him by tripping him with his naginata and then stabbing him in the chest, all in one fluid motion.  
Jin advanced again at the last remaining ronin, shouting "WHY ARE YOU AFTER YUNA?"  
Jin grabbed the ronin by his shirt and Norio stepped back. He must have saw something behind Jin as he began walking towards whatever it was.  
Jin didn't care and shook the ronin for answers. "ANSWER ME."  
The ronin gibbered but managed to cry out, "GHOST... REWARD."  
Jin's eyes narrowed as he hissed, "And how does Yuna get you a reward for the Ghost?"  
The ronin clawed at Jin's arm trying to escape, but Jin held firm in his rage, his arm as steady and solid as steel.  
"We... we were given a description and.. and offer of reward.."  
Jin's nostrils flared at the confirmation, his face etched in terrifying anger.  
"You both want the Ghost? _Then you shall have him!_ "  
In a blinding blur, Jin threw him to the ground, pulled out his tanto with his other hand, and decapitated him with both swords in a cross cut. Blood sprayed out like a great geyser, drenching him in the process. However, he merely kicked the body away, wiped the blood from his eyes, and grimly walked towards Norio, a demon soaked in blood.  
As he walked, he surveyed the rest of the fort to see if there were any other ronin or Mongols, but thankfully all he saw were a scattering of refugees hiding from the fight. Soon whispers and tales would be spread of the Ghost bathing in the blood of his enemies, and for once, Jin couldn't argue that it was hyperbole or exaggeration.   
He stopped in front of the old woman, who was hunched over trying to protect her face, but still managed to be both terrified and furious at Jin as she glared at him from behind her arms. Curious.  
He crouched down, and asked in a terrifyingly calm voice, "Did you speak to Yuna? She's about my age and was wearing a dark red kimono shirt, hair in a ponytail, wearing a headband. She would have been running from Mongols."  
The old woman glared at him, and spat, "And where were you when they attacked my village, **_Ghost?_** Where was the mighty Lord Shimura with his proud samurai to defend us as their oaths bade them?"  
She slowly shook her head in contempt, adding, "We did what we had to survive. Don't you dare judge me, murdering _demon_."  
Jin, itched along his eyebrow, still bloody from his fight, and wiped along his cheek, smearing the blood and uncaring. He watched the old woman as she flinched at the reminder of the ruthlessness she just witnessed.  
Jin, calmly, asked again, "Did you speak to Yuna? Did she say where she was going?"  
The old woman sneered, "What do you care about this woman? What is she to you?"  
Jin, stood, holding his sword loosely and pointing to the ground. Carefully, he slowly wiped his blade on his arm sleeve, and flicked the excess away, watching as the old woman's eyes widened in horror. In one fluid motion, he sheathed his sword, and then switched his tanto to his main hand.   
Crouching down again, he answered, "She is the woman I love. I am Sakai Jin, nephew to Lord Shimura. Surely you know this, if you know about the Ghost."  
The old woman spat at him, "Demon!"  
Jin inclined his head, in both acknowledgement and as an indicator that he was done asking, "If that is your final answer, so be it."  
Then looking right into her eyes, he stabbed her in the stomach. She let out a surprised grunt in a woosh of air and pain.  
" _I will find her._ No matter how far, no matter how long it takes. But know this old woman, I cannot let a traitor to our people like you live. I cannot leave you to sell our people to the Mongols."  
Jin turned toward the bailey where the refugees were hiding in the guardhouses. He stood there drenched in the blood of his enemies and shouted, "YOU ARE DONE SELLING OUR PEOPLE TO THE ENEMIES. I HAVE PUNISHED THE OLD WOMAN AND AM ON MY WAY TO HUNTING THE REST OF THE MONGOLS, BUT IF I HEAR THAT YOU ARE SELLING OUR PEOPLE AGAIN I WILL BE BACK. AND NO ONE WILL SURVIVE MY WRATH."  
Jin flicked the blood from his tanto, resheathed it, then motioned for Norio that they were leaving. They had only taken a few steps, when the old woman began to speak again, coughing through her blood and pain.  
"So... you were her Jin, that she was so worried over... "  
Jin spun on his heel and crouched near the old woman again, waiting to hear what she would say.  
"She sa.. said you were kind.. honorable.. t..the best of men.."  
She inhaled through the pain, adding, "who would lay.. the stars.. at her feet. A good.. man.."  
Jin felt tears sting his eyes, and answered in a whisper, "That's my Yuna. She deserves everything, deserves the stars. She is my heart. I would ease all her sorrows and suffering if I could."  
The old woman cried and grunted in pain, at her own wounds and at his heartfelt words.  
"A good man, indeed..."  
She feebly reached out and laid her hand upon his arm.  
"She said ... she wanted to go back.. to Kushi Temple.. would go around Toyatoma ... Hill.s..."  
Jin clenched her arm back reflexively at the news.  
"Now I ask.. that you end my suffering.. I have suffered enough.. in this world.. "  
She looked up at Jin, and some of the softness of who she used to be shone through again, "Yuna.. was a good girl.. she loves you, boy.."  
Jin gently took her hand, then did as she requested, stabbing her in the heart in a killing blow. She coughed on her own blood, but managed to smile as he laid her down upon the ground.  
"Th.ank... you... "  
Norio prayed over her departing soul as she heaved one last sigh, then she was gone.  
"Suffering begets suffering.. but in the end, it is our choices that make us who we are."  
Jin wiped at his face again, then resheathed his tanto again.   
"Is that a condemnation, Norio?"  
Norio slowly shook his head, and answered, "No, not after Fort Ito and Fort Shouni. Simply a fact of life, and reminder for all."  
Norio flicked the blood from his naginata, gave it one last twirl, then put his weapon away and readjusted his sash.  
Jin nodded, and motioned for Norio, "Come, let's see if we can pick up her trail."  
Norio nodded, and reiterated to his friend, "We'll find her, Jin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * per twitter poll, the old woman Hana was voted to be secretly evil


	15. I'll Always Come for You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin still searches for Yuna, hoping against hope he'll find her soon

Norio and Jin left the fort, then began a light run down the road leading away and towards where Yuna was rumored to be. They ran in silence for a while, each deep in their own thoughts, passing through scarlet trees and the falling leaves of autumn. The road lead ever downward, winding through the silent forest, as sunlight streamed through the trees overhead, until at last the road joined up with the road leading north. They continued west, past the stone lantern marking the fork in the road, then pausing at the entrance to the Shimura Cemetery.   
Jin stopped running and Norio paused as well, looking at Jin in silent question.  
"Let's look around for a moment, see if there's any signs. We'll stop by Riverside Farm next and ask around."  
Norio nodded, replying, "Uhh.. when we ask around Riverside, how about you let **_me_** do the asking. You should stay here, in fact."  
Jin, already trying to think of other ways Yuna could have gone, distractedly replied back, "Why?"  
Norio snorted at his friend, and answered, "Because you are drenched in blood. The peasants will be terrified of you."  
Jin blinked and looked down at himself, noticing what his friend said was true.   
"Well... that would be a bit horrific, I suppose."  
Norio tried not to laugh, "A bit."  
Jin sighed and rotated his shoulder, then turned to the nearby road heading south, away from Riverside and the cemetary, while Norio remained and searched there.   
After ten minutes or so, Norio called over, "I don't see anything conclusive here, since Riverside is so close. Have you found anything?"  
Jin responded haltingly, "I'm.. not sure.. It looks like she could have gone south on this road, but there's other tracks, so I'm not sure if it's her."  
He rubbed at the back of his neck, adding, "If you don't mind, you may have to ask around Riverside as well."  
Norio inclined his head, replying, "Not at all. I'll go ask around and be right back."  
Norio turned and walked as fast as he could down to the farmstead while Jin waited at the crossroads. After a few minutes, Jin sat near the large boulder there, while leaves idly fell from the scraggly maple tree nearby. He tried not worry and dwell on Yuna's well being, but the worry he had shoved down earlier bubbled up and threatened to overwhelm him. He had to get to her soon, he had to. He clenched his fists in his lap as he tried desperately to push back the dark thoughts in his mind. Yuna needed him to be clearheaded and focused. But he was so worried. He loved her more than the breath in his body. He felt like he was lost at sea, gasping in the waves, with no land in sight.  
He was startled out of his worries though, when a small voice asked, "Are you going to eat me?"  
Jin looked up to see a little boy had wandered up from the village and discovered Jin, covered in drying blood, and assumed he was a youkai.   
Jin gave a tired laugh at his life in general, then answered, "No, little one. I only hunt Mongols, the invaders from across the sea."  
The little boy clenched his fists as tears sprung to his eyes and ground out in the angriest voice he could muster, "Good! Eat them all! Kill them all! Toss them back to the sea, youkai-sama! They killed my father and now my mother cries at night when she thinks I'm sleeping! My aunties have taken us in, but it shouldn't be like this! I want my father back!"  
The little boys suddenly grew wide in hope and he fell to his knees, prostrating before Jin.   
"Please, youkai-sama! Can you bring back my father?! I will give you the orange I was saving for later!"  
The little boy sniffled into the dirt, yearning so much for his father that Jin's own heart ached for him.  
"I'm sorry little one, I do not have the power to bring back the dead. I lost my own family, so I understand your heartache, but I can only seek vengeance at the invaders. However, know this - I know your father would be proud of you."  
The little boy raised his head and sat on his knees, while sniffling and wiping at his tears.   
"I miss him."  
Jin nodded solemnly, "I know. I miss my father as well. I miss him every day. The only thing I can do is try to be the person that he could be proud of, and doing as much as I can to help others."  
"How was your father killed? It must have been a powerful demon!"  
Jin sighed, answering, "It was bad luck, is all. There was nothing that could be done, nothing I could have done. My father would want me to live and be well."  
Jin looked meaningfully at the little boy, adding, "Your father would want you to be well too."  
"Yes..."  
The little boy fidgeted for a minute, then blurted out, "Why are you here, then, youkai-sama? Are you looking for your father's murderers?"  
Jin shook his head, answering, "No, those people are dead and gone. My uncle killed them to avenge our family. I'm searching for my love, Yuna."  
The little boy tilted his head, asking, "Yuna?"  
"She's beautiful and courageous, smart and funny. She lights up my day whenever she's near. Some bad men took her and I'm searching for her."  
"My father used to speak like that about my mother." The boy made a gross yuck face, adding, "They kissed a lot."  
Jin laughed, despite himself. "Some day, you'll want to kiss someone too."  
The boy made another grossed out face at the thought.  
"So you miss her a lot?"  
Jin sighed and nodded at the boy, "More than my heart can bear. I worry desperately for her safety."  
The little boy bravely reached over and patted his hand, "It'll be alright, youkai-sama. I'm sure you'll find her."  
Jin hid his snort at the little boy's words, he probably learned to be so empathetic from his loved ones. He was endearingly cute.   
"I don't suppose you've seen her, little one? She looks about my age, has her hair up in a ponytail with headband, and wears a dark red kimono shirt. She would have been trying to reach Kushi Temple."  
The little boy twiddled his fingers, sighed, and furrowed his brow as he thought ferociously for someone so young.  
"Dark red.. ponytail.."  
Jin tried not to laugh as the boy knocked against his head, trying to remember.  
Gently, he told the boy, "It's alright if she was not here. You should go back to your mother anyway, before she becomes worried."  
"But what if she does show up, youkai-sama? What should I tell your bride?"  
Jin clutched his hands tightly at the thought of Yuna becoming his bride, but made himself answer in a voice overcome with emotion, "Tell her that Jin is looking for her. Tell her Jin never gave up, he would search the entire world for her if needed."  
"Wow, really?"  
Jin slowly nodded, replying honestly, "Yes. I would do anything to see her again. She is my home and my heart."  
The little boy stood, then bowed regally to Jin, promising, "If I see her, I'll let her know. I hope you find her, youkai-sama."  
The little boy ran off down the road, eager to get back and would probably put the whole encounter out of his mind as the next exciting thing popped up. Little boy things like chasing dragonflies or frogs, or watching the men work.  
Jin watched him go, whispering at the retreating form, "I hope I do too."  
Jin leaned back against the boulder and stretched out his leg, resting his arm on a bent knee. He closed his eyes against his worries and titled his head back, trying to just rest and listen to the leaves rustle and birds calling from the branches.  
He was interrupted from his rest when he heard someone coming down the road, and opened his eyes to see Norio was waving to him.  
"Jin! Good news!"  
Jin stood up and met Norio half way, asking, "What did you find out?"  
"Well, at first, no one remembered Yuna passing through, and that was after going round the entire village and asking. But then a little boy came running up to his mother, tugged on her hand to let her know he saw a youkai and that he was looking for his bride, Yuna. I admit, I laughed a bit, and told them that he probably met the Ghost waiting outside, and that was why I was asking. Suddenly, everyone had time to answer my questions and confirm if Yuna had been through the village."  
Jin rolled his eyes, "AND?"  
"Well, turns out that an old fisherman saw a lady matching that description across the river. He saw a small Mongol patrol escort a woman with that description and a few others, heading towards that old ronin camp up the hill over there."  
Jin gripped his sword, fiercely replying, "Then that is where we must go."  
Jin began running, not caring or checking to see if Norio followed. All he knew was that Yuna was again so close to being found. He ran through the village uncaring of his appearance, for soon enough he would be across the river and out of sight. Uncaring of the screams of fright, or the stray "Youkai-sama!" he heard behind him, he ran on, all his being focused on crossing the river.  
His heart began to thunderously pound and his breathing became labored as he ran full out across the stone bridge and on the road beyond it. He paused however, as he felt the wind tugging him towards the stone cliff of the hill towards the right. The leaves danced in the breeze, and the wind tugged and blew at him, as if urging him to follow.  
He stood unsure, his breathing still uneven from his run, and he looked around the area, wondering if he was crazy to follow the wind. But then, he remembered quite a few times where he had followed the wind or birds on a whim and happened upon something to discover. He didn't want to risk being wrong, not with Yuna's life, but still he felt compelled to follow.   
Determined now, he ran towards the cliff face and found there were some handholds carved into the rock face for climbing. Jin wasted no time and ascended, grunting and straining to climb as fast as he could towards the top, even resorting to using Taka's climbing claw on an old tree stump to climb the last leg of the cliff. Once he reached the top, Jin immediately hid in the tall grass nearby as he surveyed what was apparently the ronin camp. _The wind had shown him a shortcut!_  
It was very late in the afternoon when at last he made it up, the afternoon light was now slowly giving way to dusk, and the sky was now red and gold, almost like a haze of blood if he was melodramatically inclined, but he was not here to admire the view.   
He climbed up the makeshift stable the Mongols had constructed and looked around, desperate to find a sign of Yuna, when he spotted some women huddled over by the watchtower on the far side of the camp. _She could be there!_  
He breathed deeply, trying to remain calm, and dug a firecracker out of his pack. He quickly lit it and threw it nearby, hoping to attract all the guards in the camp away from the women.   
There were a dozen or less guards that came running to inspect the noise and the time to strike was now.   
Jin jumped down behind them and unsheathed his sword. He felt all his anxiety, all his fear, all his rage, finally break free as he now had a target to unleash it all upon. He made not a sound as he began hacking and butchering the soldiers in front of him, feeling as if all his focus narrowed down into the sword in his hand and the enemies before him. He focused not on the wailing, the screaming, cries of pain, or ragged sighs of the dying, it was as if he became the wind of death. He hacked off hands, he slit throats, disemboweled, maimed, and stabbed. Here was a sword arm that needed to be dealt with, here was an archer screaming for his comrades to get down, here was an opening to cut a throat or stab through the back. It mattered not. Only that he strike them down, _all of them._   
He saw, rather than felt, one of their fire arrows land on his armor, and he became annoyed because he couldn't see to strike. It was as if his body had shut down all pain sensations. Quickly as he could, he dropped and rolled to put out the flames, then in one fluid motion sprang up to stab a Mongol straight through his gut. Jin withdrew his sword and whirled to finish the foe and stabbed him through the back, whereupon the Mongol fell forward in the dirt.   
On and on he fought, slashing, diving, moving, never in the same spot. He threw kunai and followed up with quick stabs through the gut or back, whichever was most exposed. He threw his last smoke bomb, following up to stab and slice while hidden in the smoke. It wasn't a battle, it was a slaughter. It mattered not how huge the enemy was - a well placed kick, bash, or strike against them and it was all over. The pile of bodies grew and still he fought, as they were inconsequential obstacles to be removed. He moved through his paces, kept his wrist nimble and loose, and used all his skill, knowledge and determination to kill them all. If he had focus to spare, he would have spared a thought for how disappointed and fearful his uncle would be for Jin, but in this moment, Jin was merely an extension of his sword with no room for maudlin thoughts.   
Jin kicked the Mongol before him to his knees, then faster than he could scream, beheaded him in one quick motion. He held the head tightly within his grasp as he looked around to see who else was left. His face was smeared with blood and gore, and his armor was drenched. Jin's breathing was like a bellows from all the exertion, and steam seemed to rise from his bloody body. He kicked the corpse before him to the ground and stepped over it, then turned as he saw one last remaining Mongol soldier blubbering in the grass as he tried to crawl backwards away from the monster before him. But there would be no escape for him, just Jin's vengeance.  
However, just as Jin was about to move, an arrow sailed across the camp and nailed the Mongol in the chest. Another arrow flew and skewered him in the head, killing him instantly.   
Jin, still high on adrenaline from the fight, tilted his head in confusion, then turned to where the arrows had come from. He had not noticed the passage of time while in battle, but he now noticed that it was late afternoon, with the sun shining golden over the sky and the shadows deepening and lengthening as time wore on.  
He felt himself stagger in confusion and dropped the head he was holding in shock. It couldn't be?   
He took a step towards the figure and felt tears sting his eyes, running in silent rivulets against his bloody face.   
"Y.. Yuna?"  
It wasn't until he heard Yuna's voice answer back, "Jin!" that he allowed himself to feel again. He collapsed to his knees in relief and dropped his sword from his numb grip, unable to stand from the well of emotions he was feeling.  
"Jin!"  
Yuna ran across the camp, leaping over buckets, knocking over baskets, and running under old laundry lines to get to him as fast as possible.  
She came to a stop in front of him, crying at not only being reunited with him, but also crying for the raw open pain she saw reflected in his face and eyes. She had never seen such a look upon his face, even at his lowest point, and weeping at it, she prayed that she never saw such pain again. She gently lifted his downcast head, brushed stray strands of hair away from his face, and pulled a handkerchief from her pocket to ever so gently, wipe the blood off his face.   
Jin remained motionless through it all, as if he was afraid to break some spell. When she had finished, he merely hugged her knees and silently wept in relief. If she had any doubts that Jin loved her, they were well and truly laid to rest. She at last understood the depth of his love, and knew that she was his heart.  
Yuna, crying as well, knelt down and hugged him back.   
When he could speak again, Jin brokenly repeated like a mantra, "You're safe. You're safe. You're alright. You're here."  
Yuna sobbed into his bloodsoaked armor, assuring him she was safe and sound.   
"It's alright, Jin. I'm here. I knew you would come for me."  
Jin sniffed, gently held her face within his own two hands, and declared in voice raw with emotion, "I will always come for you, Yuna. I will always find you."  
He bowed his head again and let it fall on her shoulder, and almost begging, added "Don't you ever leave me, Yuna. My heart couldn't take it and I would never recover."  
Yuna gently held his head against her, and replied, "I will always come back to you, Jin. I will always be by your side. I love you."  
She let her own head fall against him and hugged him closer, not caring of the blood or gore. Nothing mattered except Jin. He was here, he'd come for her, but he was in so much pain from his heartache and worry. Her own heart was breaking at his pain.  
They held each other for a while, there in the dirt, while Yuna gazed unseeing over the camp, content to be held by Jin. She was finally home.  
Reality began to set in however, as the shadows of dusk lengthened and evening began to set in.   
Yuna drew back, wiped at his tears again, and smiling through her own said, "As if you could get rid of me, Sakai Jin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have plans for Jin's reunion ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> edit: NSFW reunion here - sidestory [Ch3: I Need You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25910995/chapters/66485848)


	16. All For Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a short chapter of soft romance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was going to write just one last chapter, but I had to write this one first. Still have plans to write more though

They both were content to lay there for a while, exhausted but happy. Yuna was content to watch the sunlight flicker through the tree leaves while listening to Jin's heartbeat and breaths. Jin was content to feel Yuna's hair spread out over his chest as he absently ran his hand over the line of her back. He wished they could be together like this always, and that all the problems of the world would fade away to a distant memory. He kissed the top of her head in contentment, which made Yuna sigh languidly and kiss his chest in return.   
Jin felt waves of love for her, waves that he would happily drown in. He wished she really knew how much he loved her because he felt words would never be enough, not in ten lifetimes. He had killed for her, hunted down her enemies, gave up everything for her, and he would do it again and again with a smile on his face. That's what his uncle didn't understand, and sometimes Jin felt sorry for him that he never knew that bone deep love with his wife when she was alive. If his uncle did, he would understand why he walked away for Yuna.   
Jin thought about Yuna as his wife and he almost groaned at how right that image felt. He imagined all his future days like this with Yuna, and watching all her expressions unfold, learn all the cracks and corners of her heart, and all her smiles. He wanted to be the reason for her smiles, he wanted it so desperately he could almost weep from wanting a future with her. His hand clenched on her back, so desperate with want as he saw a future with her. He wanted to snatch it from the air. He knew that the shogun had stripped him of his lands and would probably send men to hunt him down, but in this moment he let himself dream.  
"Yuna, would you marry me?"  
The words slipped out but now he held his breath in anticipation of her answer.  
Yuna snuggled closer but did not look up as she answered, "Would I? As in hypotheticals? Or are you seriously asking?"  
Jin huffed a half laugh, kissed her head again, and smiling he asked, " _Will_ you marry me, Yuna?"  
Yuna looked up him and smiled back, answering, "Yes, Sakai Jin, I will marry you. Only the kami know how much I love you."  
Yuna scrunched up her nose as she joked, "You wouldn't last a week without me."  
Jin was tired and worn out from the day, and he knew they would both be sore if they had sex again, but still he wanted her, he would always want her. However, he knew she was just as tired, so he merely caressed her face then tipped her head so that he could kiss her. He loved her so much, he didn't know how much more he could outrun fate to be with her. He had nothing more to give other than himself. Idly he thought, _maybe I could become ronin and hire myself out to fight for money._   
Jin made himself answer honestly, "I wouldn't. I would always be looking for my Yuna and worry."  
Yuna meanwhile luxuriated in feeling Jin's skin against her own. She languidly arched against him, feeling decadent but completely at peace as she trailed her fingers gently over his skin. She felt like a stray cat that had finally found shelter from raging storms, finding her true home at last. If she was honest with herself, the man did make her want to purr and he radiated heat for days. She wished she could stay here forever within his warm arms.  
Jin tightened his hold a bit and ran his hand down her arms and over her exposed skin. "You are my heart, Yuna. You brought me back to life and now my life is yours. You're stuck with me now, forever."  
Yuna kissed along his jaw, and asked, "Forever, huh?"  
Jin looked her in the eye and firmly reiterated, "Forever."  
Smiling, Yuna teased, "Even beyond the grave?"  
Jin took it seriously, and answered, "Yes. Where you go, I go. If we're stuck haunting Tsushima then I will roam eternity with you. If we are reborn I will follow and find you, wherever you are, no matter how long it takes."  
Yuna's lips parted in surprised wonder, then leaned forward to kiss him for his wonderful declaration of devotion. He sighed in contentment and kissed her back.   
He broke the kiss to whisper against her lips, "Don't cry, Yuna. You break my heart when you cry."  
Yuna reached up to wipe the tears from her face, "These are happy tears, Jin. I never thought I could be this happy."  
Jin gently rubbed his thumb over her cheek and replied, "Then that is alright. My only wish is for you to be happy, Yuna."  
Yuna took a deep breath, trying not to cry, and buried her face against his chest.  
"Please stop, or else I really will sob like a baby."  
Jin laughed, which jiggled Yuna and made her feel his voice reverberating in his chest. She sighed at the foolish man and counted herself extremely lucky. She should give thanks at the temple for having such a wonderful man fall in love with her.


	17. You Did Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin and Yuna rest up after being reunited against all odds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen, i love them smmmmm I could write about them all damn day  
> i just need them to tell each other how much they love each other 🥺

Yuna dozed off for a bit, lulled by Jin's deep even breaths and steady heartbeat beneath her. She swore she was just going to close her eyes for just a moment, but the turmoil and exhaustion of the past few days caught up to her. She was where she belonged, safe in Jin's arms, and soon enough she was out like a candle, slightly drooling on Jin's chest.  
Jin tried not to chuckle as he gently wiped at her face, while being very careful not to wake her, then traced her soft cheek with his thumb. He took the opportunity to stare at her unrepentantly with naked longing, his whole heart in his gaze. To say he loved her was a gross understatement of the feelings he felt for her. They were like the sky, vast, with no end. They were like a summer storm, passionate and all consuming, drowning his world with want for her, threatening death to anyone who would harm her. He wished there was a better word. He wished he could whisper it to her, late at night, when the moon shone brightly upon her perfection. The words felt inadequate and too small for the love he felt for her. He would much rather give her anything her heart desired. She had but to ask, anything, anything at all, and he would die trying to give it to her.  
Fighting sleep himself, he tiredly stared down at her face, free from the worries and cares of the waking world, and all the sorrows of her heart. Awake, her eyes were fierce, sardonic, and calculating, as she constantly scanned her surroundings for trouble. The only time they grew warm and soft, was when she felt safe enough to put her guard down. He vowed that he would try to make her always feel safe, and wished he had the power to make the world so, just so she could have a life free from such cares.  
He was just about to nod off when he saw Norio making his way back. Jin grabbed Yuna's discarded kimono and placed it over her nakedness. He knew it would mean nothing to Norio, but Jin tried to be respectful towards Yuna. But mostly he wanted to keep Yuna all to himself, she was his gift, his heart, and no one else's.  
Norio stopped a short, respectful distance away and softly called out, "Will you be returning to the village, my lord? It's getting late and we were all worried for you. .. Well mostly worried. They're preparing dinner and need to know where you'll be sleeping tonight."  
Jin gently shifted Yuna, and answered just as softly, "We'll be down shortly. I apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you."  
Norio bowed and answered, "No need to apologize, my lord. I'll see you soon then."  
Norio left and made his way back down towards the village. Jin would have liked to not move for the next five hundred years, but he really needed a bath, quickly followed by a mountain of food, and both would be too much of an inconvenience to ask one of the villagers to trek all the way here with heavy buckets of water, followed with an additional trek bearing food. It was too far away and they weren't servants, nor was he the shogun to demand such things. (He briefly thought what it would like to be shogun, but almost shook his head immediately as he thought about the ceaseless politics, infighting, boring meetings, paperwork, and oh yes, politics.)  
He let his head lay back down and was content to gaze at the sky through the shifting tree leaves above. It was warm autumn here in Kubara prefecture, but the mornings and evenings held a hint of the sharp breath of winter. He wanted Yuna safe and warm in the village, after a bath and something to eat, of course.  
He sighed, turned to kiss her forehead, then gently shook her awake.  
"Yuna, we must leave for the village. It's time to wake now."  
Yuna merely tried to burrow deeper into his chest, rubbing against it and mumbling, "Five more minutes.. i promise.."  
Jin gave up and laughed, by the gods he truly did love her.   
Yuna finally awoke to his laughter, the sound loud with her ear to his bouncing chest.   
She sat up a bit and rubbed at her face. "I'm up, I'm up. I'm awake. What?"  
Jin was about to reply, but all thought fled for a moment as she stretched naked before him. He shook himself after a moment, and propped himself up on his elbows as he leaned forward, smiling because he was so lucky.  
Yuna returned his smile in sleepy content, and Jin yearned for many, many more moments where he could see Yuna just like this.  
"Is it time to leave?"  
Jin nodded, replying, "Yes. We need to return so we can wash up, eat, and rest for the night. The villagers are kind enough to have everything waiting for us to return."  
Yuna immediately stood and helped him up as well, kissing him lightly on the cheek once he stood before her.   
Jin, with mischief in mind and not able to leave well enough alone, pulled her back and kissed her breathless. Then, once satisfied, he stepped back to dress in the clothes he stole off a nearby wash line stand. He'd have to clean his armor and underclothes, in addition to getting a bath. He turned back to Yuna for a moment and saw she still clutched her shirt in front of her, while her gaze was far away and soft. Jin supposed she was still processing their kiss. His heart welled with love within his chest, and he counted himself the luckiest man in Tsushima, this past year not withstanding.   
Clutching his own clothes, he walked back over to her, smiling at her daydreamy look.  
He leaned in closer, whispering against her ear, "And what has you so bewitched?"  
Yuna jumped back like a startled cat and inhaled sharply as she returned back to reality. Jin felt slightly remorseful, he had well and truly startled her, and with a past like hers he would do well to tread carefully until he knew the lay of the land.  
Jin didn't want to make it any more awkward, so he merely smiled and asked, "Are you ok?"  
Yuna mentally shook herself, blinked, and replied, "Of course! You startled me is all. Sorry for dawdling, I'll be ready to go in a few minutes."  
Jin walked towards her again and gently moved a strand of hair from her face, then kissed her softly.  
"It's ok, Yuna. We have a little time, my love."  
Yuna softened again, gave a small sweet smile, then began to hurriedly dress and gather up her weapons.  
Jin dressed as well in his stolen ronin clothes, tied up his sandals, then began tying up his belt and swords. Jin looked over towards Yuna and saw she was almost done as well as she finished tying up her weapons and putting things away.  
She turned towards Jin, asking, "Do you have everything? Do you need help carrying anything?"  
Jin hefted the reed basket tied over his back and adjusted the strap, then did once last sweep of the encampment. He'd have to come back with some men to clear out the bodies at the edge of camp before they attracted wild animals.   
"Ready. And you?"  
Yuna scanned the camp as well, then answered, "Ready."  
Jin motioned for her to join him as they departed, heading past the cliff towards the hill leading down below. They walked in silence for a few minutes, both of them scanning the landscape for any sign of enemies, however Jin found himself craving closeness to Yuna. He had no words for conversation at that moment, but the time they had spent together earlier was not enough. He shifted his belongings to his other hand, and reached out with his free hand for hers.  
Yuna turned towards Jin in momentary surprise, then just as quickly threaded her fingers through his own and smiled at him. It felt like the sun shown on him and he gently smiled back. Then together they walked, hand in hand, as if they had not a care in the world and were simply two lovers walking back home after a picnic. He would not dwell on the circumstances that reunited them, but he was grateful with every bone in his body that he found her safe and sound, and that he could be here like this with her.  
Suddenly, he did have words he wished to say.  
"Yuna, will you marry me?"  
Yuna laughed at his question, replying, "I already answered 'yes', did you forget?"  
Jin grinned, (a very rare sight), and laughingly replied, "No, but for a moment I thought I dreamed it, and had to be sure."  
He gently tightened his fingers around hers, and added, "I may just ask you every day until the wedding day, because it's too good to be true. I couldn't possibly be so lucky."  
Yuna rubbed her thumb over his hand, softly replying, "Maybe I'm the one who should ask every day until the wedding. There's no possible way a lord such as yourself would every marry a peasant woman like me."  
Jin stopped, forcing her to stop as well, then gently pulled her too him to place their entwined hands over his heart. Maybe now was the time to try and find the words he wanted to tell her.   
"Yuna..," Jin paused, struggling to find words, then sighed, continuing with "I love you. You have my heart cupped in your hands, you have but to squeeze just a little, and I would greatly suffer in pain. Your words, your laugh, your smiles fill me with joy, like sunlight after a long winter."  
His brow furrowed as still he struggled, absently caressing her hand with his thumb.  
"There is nothing if you are not here beside me, life would have no meaning. I guarantee you that not only would I have died on that beach, but if I never got to know you, I would have continued to throw my life away at the Mongols. Seeking death, not justice. Honor died on that beach, but so did my will to live."  
He gazed at her plainly now, all the pain he usually tried to hide now visible for her to see. Unheeded tears coursed down her cheeks as she beheld his suffering.  
"All the samurai died. My friends, my comrades, connecting clans, everyone. They all died. They died in senseless violence against tactics we had no way of combating at the time. I had no one. It was easier to throw my life away in one last defiant stand, knowing certain death awaited."  
Jin stepped even closer to her, trying to make Yuna understand how much she meant to him.  
"You kept pulling me back. You kept giving me reasons to live. You kept showing me how much people needed me, needed someone to save them. So I crawled back, I kept going, I bent all notions of honor until it broke. Because Tsushima needed me."  
Yuna was crying now, her heart filling with pain, for his and her own. A dark whisper in her mind reinforced what she always knew - she would always be last, she would never be someone's first choice, even when the love of her life was declaring his love, she would be second place because he cared so much about others. She supposed she should be honored that she loved such a kind, caring man, but after so little for so long, she wanted to be selfish. And she hated herself for that thought.   
Jin lifted the basket from his shoulder and placed it on the ground. Then before she could register surprise, he embraced her, holding her tightly to him.  
"Yuna, you are more important to me that all of them. All of it meant nothing if I could not have you by my side."  
Yuna was sobbing now, her tears staining his shirt.   
Jin made shushing noises as he held her, but more so just to calm and comfort her.  
"I love you, Yuna. Always. You have but to ask, and I would do anything for you."  
Yuna wiped at her eyes and face, looking down in shame.  
"I love you too, Jin. It scares me how much I love you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry I keep doubting."  
Tears coursed down her face, as consumed in her own misery, she whispered and reiterated, "I'm sorry.. I'm sorry.."  
It broke his heart. He was undone by her tears and let his head fall down on the crook of her neck.  
"Yuna, please, tell me what I have done to make you cry like this. I love you more than anything in the world and wish you to be happy. Please tell me what is wrong. Please.. tell me."  
She was startled out of her misery by his pleas, and gently lifted his head to have him face her. He was crying as well, tears coursing down his face as the pain of her unhappiness was too much for him - the man who faced invading hordes, certain death time and time again, risking everything to save their home, was crying over her.  
She wept some more as she gently traced his face, then leaned in to touch his forehead. She felt conflicting emotions, like she was the worst person alive for making Jin cry, but elated that he loved her this much. She truly did hold his heart in her hands.   
"Jin, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I would never wish to cause you any pain. I truly love you, Jin. You say you would do anything for me, if I but asked. But I have been as well, since the beginning. I was so afraid, so lost, my only goal was to find and rescue Taka. I was like an arrow loosed upon my target, and nothing would stand in my way. He was all I had, my only family, and he was too kind and gentle for this world. I was his only protection."  
She smiled through her tears and wiped at his.  
"But then this samurai I saved to help me rescue my brother became as stubborn as a goat. He wouldn't just do as I asked then be on his merry way. No, he had to rescue all of Tsushima, and rescue his own family. Even when he kept trying to throw his life away, he couldn't quite do it because he had such a kind heart. He wanted to protect everyone, and drive out the invaders, so that no one else would experience the pain he had felt."  
Jin sniffed as she gently moved a strand of hair from his face, gazing at her as he soaked up her words. His eyes softened at her words, looking like he wanted to say something but would wait until the end of the world until she finished speaking. He was her other half, her home. When one hurt, the other hurt as well.  
"I thought, that surely such a paragon, such a hero would have no room for me. Plus I had Taka, I had to protect him no matter what the cost, even if it was my own happiness. I gave up on my dreams and was ready to sail away, never to see my handsome samurai again. Which was just as well, he had so much to do, and I was just a peasant woman, a thief. The Ghost belonged to the people of Tsushima, and I would never stand in the way of that."  
Jin's eyes grew sad at her words but still he waited. He would always wait for her. She knew that now.   
"But the samurai kept coming back to me, kept asking for my help to defend others, asking for my thoughts, begging me to stay. He trusted me the most, more implicitly than his own flesh and blood. For he knew I would always watch over him, always see his heart, always try to save him. This stubborn samurai kept begging me to stay, giving me reasons to stay, and yet, when I said I could not, he fought for my wish to leave."  
Yuna played with his shirt as she tried to formulate her words and keep from crying.  
"It humbled me, it scared me. For so long, I was used to being on my own and fending for myself, watching for the inevitable knife in my back."  
She looked into Jin's eyes as she continued, emotions raw and visible, "But I kept coming back to you. I kept looking for you, thinking about you and what you thought. Your kindness, your bravery," she paused to laugh despite herself, "Your stubborn pigheadedness. _By the gods, you are the most stubborn man alive!_ "  
Jin smiled and huffed in laughter at her words, yet still he let her speak what she need to tell him.  
" _You really are!_ Most men would have just gave up ten times over, a thousand times over! And not just about the Mongols!! I'm not an easy person to understand or be with! I'm more stubborn than you! Life has taught me to doubt everything, to expect kicks and punches. I gave up on happiness for myself a long time ago! But again, this samurai as stubborn as the day is long, kept being incredibly gentle and kind to me. And most importantly, he was able to rescue my brother against all odds. Because he keeps his promises. Because his word is his vow. And little by little I gave you my trust, then my heart. Which I don't give lightly! Ask anyone!"  
Jin outright laughed and let his forehead touch hers again, needing to be close to her.  
Yuna softened her voice and caressed his cheek. She loved him so much.  
"I need you to know, that I love you, Sakai Jin. With everything I have. Please be patient with me as I try to believe that you love me just as much."  
She kissed him then, soft and gently, while Jin breathed her in, finally at peace. When they broke apart, he smiled at her, and used his sleeve to wipe her face. She smiled as he fussed over her, then returned the favor, using a handkerchief from her pack to wipe at his face as well.  
She gave a small laugh at their state, saying, "A fine pair we make, huh?"  
Jin replied in all seriousness, "Yes. In fact, we should get married."  
She gave a startled laugh at the reminder, and Jin smiled at her laughter.  
"No, but I'm serious, Yuna."  
Yuna laughed again and poked him in the ribs.   
"I know, and I agree, but you do make me laugh, Jin!"  
"I'll just keep asking, Yuna."  
"I know! I said I agree!"  
Jin picked up his basket again, placing over it over his shoulder, then grabbed her hand again, gently tugging on it so they could continue on.  
"You should probably do something about it then. Like marry me."  
Yuna, still smiling, rolled her eyes at his antics, but secretly she was eating this up. His humor was usually dry, and he did laugh, but she felt like he was opening up more and she secretly loved it.  
"You're just being silly now."  
"Mmhmm..."  
She tugged on his hand and made him concentrate on walking back to the village.  
"Come on, everyone's waiting on us. We should hurry. AND DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT MARRIAGE."  
Jin smiled, but it was a mischievous smile, replying, "As you wish."


End file.
